


Spark of Life

by NeonWolves



Series: Supernatural Stiles Stilinski [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Stiles, Character Bashing, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Eventual Happy Ending, Falling In Love, Fix-It, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Klaus Mikaelson Has A Heart, M/M, Magical Stiles Stilinski, Protective Elijah Mikaelson, Protective Klaus Mikaelson, Romance, Sassy Stiles Stilinski, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:47:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 31,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28653735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonWolves/pseuds/NeonWolves
Summary: Sometimes Stiles wished he could do things without them turning into supernatural messes. Case in point: his vacation to New Orleans. Everything seemed fine at the start, and then he stumbled on a cursed Elijah Mikaelson.
Relationships: Aiden/Cora Hale, Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey, Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Chris Argent/Peter Hale, Davina Claire/Kol Mikaelson, Elijah Mikaelson/Klaus Mikaelson/Stiles Stilinski, Elijah Mikaelson/Stiles Stilinski, Ethan/Danny Mahealani, Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall, Jackson Kenner/Hayley Marshall, Klaus Mikaelson/Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin/Jackson Whittemore, Malia Tate/Kira Yukimura, Marcel Gerard/Rebekah Mikaelson, Vernon Boyd/Erica Reyes
Series: Supernatural Stiles Stilinski [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/589294
Comments: 47
Kudos: 265





	1. Chapter 1

So, when Stiles first thought about going on a vacation to New Orleans, he never would have imagined that his life would get even more insane than it already was, living in Beacon Hills. New Orleans had been a dream vacation location for him for quite a while now. He has always been fascinated with the history of the town, and even more fascinated with the mythology behind it. Sure, most of it was a scam to draw in stupid tourists, but the witch heritage of the city was, at least based on his research, quite real. Ever since learning of his Spark, Stiles had been in love with all things magic since it finally brought some focus and meaning in his life. Thus, the mystical nature of New Orleans drew him to the town. That, and he desperately needed to get away from Beacon Hills, both in hope of getting a break from the constant Monster-of-the-Week nonsense that plagued his life and because ever since the last major fight the pack had gotten quite clingy. This of course naturally translated into traveling to another state to avoid the clingy hell that was a pack of werewolves that had recently survived a tragedy.  
  
However, as always, the normalcy was short-lived. After two days of exploring the city and experiencing all the wonderful things, New Orleans had to offer Stiles was a little tired and wanted to just have a relaxing stroll through a park near his hotel. It was quite relaxing. The sun was shining, the clouds were few and far between, the trees were green and the air fresh. Although, the tortured screams that tore through the area did kind of kill the vibe. At first, Stiles thought he was going to stumble into some sort of massacre, except nobody else seemed to hear the screams, so obviously something supernatural was afoot. Which, if there was anything that caused his already quite non-existent sense of self-preservation to fly out the window it was all things supernatural. So, he sent a pulse of his spark out into the area, sending a feeler out for the origin of the screams. Finally, after about a minute his Spark caught onto the location from which the screams came from and Stiles headed there as quickly as he could.

Sneaking in was easy, if not creepy as hell, but what he was met by on the inside made his breath catch in his throat. There was the source of the tortured screams, overly chained to the walls, one of the most gorgeous men Stiles had ever seen. Which was saying something, considering somehow everybody in his life was stunning. Which, sidebar, is a great way to develop insecurities, as Stiles had quickly discovered. It was obvious that the man wasn’t in any physical pain, and there was no visible wound on him, however, something seemed to be hurting him from the inside, and he was covered in a layer of sweat, seemingly from his body over-exerting itself in the throes of whatever fever-dream he seemed to be in.

Even without touching him Stiles could feel the magic pouring off the man in spades. It was powerful, grazing across Stiles’ very core causing him to shiver at the cold and dark feel to it. Clearly witch magic, and quite a dark spell at that. Now, being the completely, utterly, undeniably non-meddling person Stiles so very clearly was, he knew he had to put a stop to the spell immediately. There was a very big chance this could backfire, and that the man was some sort of evil overlord bent on destroying the universe but seeing him chained to the wall writhing in pain like that made Stiles’ mind briefly flashback to Gerard, and he knew then and there that nothing would stop him from helping this man.

He walked up to the man cautiously, extending his hand forward and just barely pressing the flat of his palm against the man’s chest, trying to ignore the hard feel of muscle, since now definitely wasn’t the time and it also made him feel really creepy. Letting out a shuddering breath, he closed his eyes and focused on the swishing aura of the spell the man was under. With great care, Stiles thought of his Spark carefully wrapping itself around the spell, smothering it akin to how one would smother out a flame. He felt quite a bit of push back but put aside all doubt and trusted that his Spark would do what he wanted it to. This worked in his favor, as he felt even more power flowing through him and eventually the spell was all but a wisp that got crushed under the force of Stiles’ magic.

Stiles stepped back and watched as the man seemed to gradually return to coherency, groaning softly as his eyes fluttered open. He was clearly still out of it, but as he returned to consciousness there was a clear panic in his eyes, despite his face quickly settling into a mostly blank façade. The man’s eyes seemed to focus on Stiles, a hateful glare now in place of the incoherent look that was there moments ago. “Who are you?” He growled out, hints of an accent dancing across his tongue. Stiles raised his hands in a placating gesture, squirming slightly in place despite his attempt to stay calm under the man’s intense glare.

“J-just the guy who saved you. What the hell happened to you dude?” Stiles asked, wincing as the man's glare seemed to turn even colder, taking on a calculating edge that seemed to cut through Stiles, causing him to squirm uncomfortably. After all, it was not every day he saved some screaming man, tied up German dungeon porn-style in an old tomb-like structure. And while yes, Stiles had become a much more confident and unafraid person after having come into his powers the man radiated power and Stiles could not help but shiver slightly at the look the man was sending him. After a while, though the glare lessened and the man’s features relaxing, body slouching slightly as he let out a puff of air.

“You really aren’t one of them.” He mumbled; relief clear in his voice. And if that was not some cryptic Deaton bullshit Stiles did not know what was. Seriously, what was it with people in his life making vague statements that ultimately explained nothing about anything in place of giving clear, concise information? It annoyed the hell out of him, confused him even more. , this is why he refused to study magic from Deaton.  
“Erm right. Listen dude, mind telling me who you are? Perhaps why you are trapped here, cursed in a dungeon?” Stiles asked in an exasperated fashion, trying to keep his cool so as to not anger the man. Another perk of his Spark, apparently exerting the excess energy his magic provided him gave him a lot more clarity and self-control.

“You knew there was a spell on me?” The man asked, providing absolutely zero answers to Stiles’ question, which was honestly quite rude. Here he was saving the guy and all he gets in return is a game of one-sided twenty questions.

“Yeah, that thing was basically wrapped around you like a burrito. Quite a nasty piece of work, hard to break. Whoever put it on you must have quite the grudge against you.” He said, and ok, the last part may have been a little spiteful but that is what this guy got for not answering any of Stiles’ quite valid and imperative questions. However, the panic in the man’s eyes did give Stiles pause though.

“You broke Mother’s spell? Then she already knows you have done so. If you truly claim to be helping me, you must get me out of these chains before she comes back.” The man said, his gaze warning Stiles of just how dangerous not doing what he asked would be. And he was probably right, the witch who cast the spell would exactly be pleased with Stiles for breaking it after all. Still, Stiles was a tad weary of the man, but he did not know how much time he had so he threw caution to the wind and stepped up to the man again, once again pressing a hand to his chest. This time though he focused on the chains, and with much greater ease directed his Spark to snap them. This was much easier, and Stiles probably didn’t even need physical contact, but it made things much, much easier.

The man straightened himself and stretched a little, rubbing slightly at his wrists where the manacles were. Suddenly his gaze snapped up to meet Stiles’. Before Stiles could even blink the man disappeared in a blur that rushed at him at lightning speed and he felt himself being picked up and held in a way that would prevent him flailing about, followed by a feeling of nausea and dizziness as the world flashed around him, causing Stiles to slam his eyes shut. He was terrified and disorientated, forcing his Spark to send the man flying away from him once he was securely placed on the ground a minute later. He opened his eyes to look around in confusion as he found himself and the man in some room in an unknown location.

“What the hell? Where am I? You didn’t even think to give me a warning?” Stiles half-shouted at the man, chest rising up and down as he breathed heavily from the residue panic, and also the shock of how fast the man had transported them to a completely different location. The man just sighed and walked over to one of the bedside tables and took the phone which was laying there, frowning when he turned it on and proceeding to tap at it and lift it to his face, calling somebody. Stiles, half-indignant at being ignored yet again, and half-curious at who the man was in a rush to call Stiles used his Spark to better his hearing until he could hear the sounds coming from the phone. The moment the phone call went through the man rushed to speak with a panicked voice.

  
“Davina, what’s happening? Are you safe?” He asked, his eyes betraying the worry he felt for the person woman he was calling. Stiles pretended to look at another corner of the room, but it was probably quite clear he was eavesdropping.

  
“Elijah? You need to get over here right now. Mikael is about to go after Klaus with the white oak stake. He’s going to kill him.” The girl on the other end of the call responded, panic in her voice and she rushed out an answer. Stiles tried to pick up as much information as he could out of her reply, but he honestly couldn’t really make heads or tails of it.

  
“Send me your location, I’ll be there as soon as I can.” The man, Elijah, said, hanging up the phone, staring at it intently until it buzzed from a notification, clearly from the girl sending her location to Elijah’s phone. Elijah nodded slightly and put the phone away before looking at Stiles, who by now had given up on pretending not to be listening.

  
“So, I guess we’ll be rescuing that Klaus guy? Also, what did she mean by white oak? There is no such thing as a White Oak Tree.” Stiles stated though the last part of the statement was mostly just confirming his own thoughts verbally. He raised a brow when Elijah let out a small huff of laughter, eyes crinkled slightly in amusement.

  
“It’s very rude to eavesdrop you know.” He said, a ghost of a smirking playing at his lips, making Stiles’ attention drawn to them. Though, his expression quickly turned serious again as he looked at Stiles. “I couldn’t possibly ask you to risk your life, especially after all you’ve done for me. Thank you for saving me, however. I shall be forever in your debt. I must go now; you are welcome to stay until I return.” He said, giving Stiles a kind smile. Stiles knew even before it happened that the man would speed away, so in a split-second decision sent a bit of his Spark towards Elijah, tagging him and watching as he flew out of the room.

  
He sat down on the bed, looking around the room in consideration, trying to sort his own thoughts out and decide if he was really about to do what he was about to do. But then, it wasn’t really a choice at all, was it? Stiles was already too invested in this, and he had too many questions to be placated by an ‘I’ll be back later.’ Besides, a small part of him was worried about the man, despite not knowing or fully trusting him quite yet.  
So, he felt for his spark and when he felt Elijah come to a halt he quickly sprang into action, letting the remainder of his Spark burst out and fly towards the part he had tagged Elijah with, causing his body to dematerialize and go along with it. He was not very well versed in teleportation, and it took a lot of practice to be able to do it without being afraid to lose half his body in the process, but dire situations called for dire measures. As soon as Stiles appeared before Elijah, he felt the man catch him and looked up innocently to the man who was looking at him, half in wonder and half in exasperation. “You stubborn boy.” He said, clearly not expecting Stiles to teleport to him.

  
“You’re not wrong,” Stiles said with a small laugh, thinking of all the other times he had gotten himself into trouble because of his stubborn and curious nature. Elijah gave a long sigh before seemingly relenting and focusing back on him, though his gaze was chiding.

  
“Well, if you must come along then fine. Brace yourself.” He warned, and Stiles could barely get out a nod before he felt himself get picked up and sped off once again into one of the derelict buildings nearby, opening his eyes when they stopped to look around at the group of people he and Elijah were standing amongst.  
Most of the group were staring down a man who had blood all over his neck, though one man, a stunning sandy blond, seemed to be in a standoff with the bloodied one, who slightly resembled Elijah and himself. Through power of deduction Stiles guessed that the bloodied man was Mikael, especially since he was holding a white stake in his hand.

  
“Elijah! How wonderful that you have decided to join us as well! And you’ve brought a friend!” The bloody man bellowed, grinning in a feral manner, seemingly putting on a grandiose performance. Honestly, his whole presence pissed Stiles off for some reason. He instantly knew he hated this man. “Another who can witness just how weak and pathetic Niklaus is!” He continued, turning his gaze back to the now confirmed Klaus, whose face was twisted and transformed into something not quite human as he growled at Mikael. However, this just caused a man to let out a cold, mocking laugh that made Stiles’ skin crawl.

  
“Look at you, growling like the dog that you are. It is true though, isn’t it? After all, you’re having women and children fight your battles for y- “Mikael’s words were caught in his throat, cut off out of seemingly nowhere as the man let off sounds off resistance and struggle, his eyes the only part of him that was moving at all, apart from being dragged to his knees by an invisible force. Most of the room reacted with gasps, staring at him in shock before their eyes flitted around the room, soon all landing on Stiles, whose hand was extended forward toward Mikael as he glared at him hatefully.

  
“You know, misogyny and age-ism are so last century.” He spat out at Mikael, something akin to a growl in his voice. It took great care not to crush the man’s bones into dust as adrenaline flowed through Stiles’ veins, though he wasn’t entirely certain he wanted to hold back. He was slightly surprised though mostly glad when one of the girls in the room flashed over to Mikael, wrenched the stake out of his hand, and stabbed it through Mikael’s chest. Stiles watched in satisfaction as the man let out a pained noise, and the stake lit on fire, which quickly spread through the man’s body. He drew his spark back only when he felt all sign of life disappear from the man, and let his body fall into Elijah’s who rushed to support Stiles’ weight. Though he was glad that he had been of use, he was exhausted by all the recent overuse of his Spark in the last hour.

  
“Brother, not that I didn’t enjoy the show, because believe me, I did, but who is this boy?” Klaus asked, raising one of his brows at his brother in a judgmental yet somehow smug matter that made the man look strangely adorable.

  
“This is…” Elijah trailed off, seemingly realizing that they have never actually introduced themselves to each other and that he did not even know the name of the boy who had saved him from his mother’s clutches. Somehow finding himself in Elijah’s gaze while in his arms made Stiles blush a little and look off to the side.  
“I’m Stiles Stilinski.” He said, steadying himself and forcing himself to stop blushing, and met Elijah’s gaze with a friendly smile. Honestly, despite Elijah’s infuriating Deaton-like quality of being cryptic and dodging questions the man was quite charming, had an amazing accent, and was pretty to look at so Stiles was willing to pardon him.

  
“Right. And what exactly do you want, Stiles. Klaus asked, saying Stiles’ name in an almost condescending manner, turning his sassy brow at Stiles, who felt a touch of ire at the man whose ass Stiles had just saved.  
“A nice nap and some food would be nice.” Stiles fired back sassily, though he really was in need of both of those things to recharge. Honestly, the thought of a nice burger and some curly fries nearly had him salivating.  
“Why is he here Elijah?” The brunette girl who stabbed Mikael asked. Her voice was accented, though Stiles couldn’t really place the origin of her accent. Honestly, though, you would think these people would be a touch more grateful. Thus far Elijah had been the only nice one of the lot.

  
“There’s really no need to be rude Hayley. Stiles here helped me out when our mother had me trapped under her curse. After that, I came here as quickly as I could, and he just followed. Despite me saying that it wasn’t necessary.” The last part was mostly targeted at Stiles, who had the decency to look a tab apologetic, though, for the most part, he wasn’t sorry at all. At least somebody had finally given him some credit.

  
“I’ve never felt magic like yours before. What coven are you from?” The younger brunette girl asked, looking at him with a bit of awe, almost studying him as if he were a rare book of some kind. Stiles couldn’t help the snort that came out when she mentioned the coven part though. Honestly, he really couldn’t picture himself being a witch at all. She looked a little surprised at his reaction though, so Stiles quickly rushed to explain himself.

  
“Sorry, it’s just the thought of being from a witch coven is kind of funny to me.” He said, barely containing his snicker as he thought of himself with a pointy hat and broom. A stereotype yes, but a funny one.  
“You say the word witch as if you aren’t one yourself.” The blond woman stated from where she stood, also studying him, though her gaze was far more calculating than the young brunette’s. She seemed to be analyzing him in a way. Though Stiles had to hand it to her, she was quite perceptive.

  
“That’s because I’m not one. You aren’t either, are you? You’re the only one here that’s human. Though, other than the two witches I don’t know what the rest of you are, as I haven’t met any of your kind.” Stiles said, looking around at the rest of the room. He was quite intrigued by them, seeing as they were an entirely new creature. Though the two witches weren’t exactly normal either, he decided not to voice that.

  
“You’ve never heard of us?” Klaus said rather haughtily, seemingly having had assumed Stiles knew who he was as if he was Kim Kardashian or something. Like wow, conceited much? Honestly, some people thought way too highly of themselves. His train of thought was cut off though when Hayley snorted, as did many others in the room while Klaus just glared at Stiles until the boy figured out he had called Klaus conceited out loud.

  
“So, you mean to tell me you are powerful enough to break a spell of my mother's design and immobilize my father, but you don’t know of the Originals?” Klaus asked and from context, Stiles figured out the Originals must be some significant supernatural thing, though the man annoyed him so Stiles decided to answer him in kind.

  
“Is that like a band you’re in or…?” Stiles trailed off his question, doing everything in his power to look as sincerely confused as possible and refrain from laughing as Klaus’s glare deepened. Yes, this man also radiated power, more so than even Elijah had, but somebody had to put him in his place, and by the looks of awed amusement and the young brunette’s muttering of ‘a band’ it was about time somebody talked back to Asshole McGorgeous anyway. Also, he should probably think of a more insulting nickname for this dick if he kept up this kind of behavior.

  
“I like him,” Hayley stated, shooting an amused smile at Elijah, who was also smiling at Stiles’ antics. Oh, so they liked him. Goodie, let’s see how long that lasts. Honestly, Stiles would be shocked if it took more than half an hour for them to change their mind on that.

  
“We are part of the Originals, the oldest and first Vampires to walk this earth. Well, me and Elijah anyway. Marcel is also a Vampire, while the little wolf here is just another hybrid.” Klaus said, only to have Hayley spin around to glare at him, her face twisting into quite the angry expression.  
“Just another hybrid? I was the mother of your child you- “She started going off on him, but in hopes of preventing any more fighting Stiles clapped his hands together rather loudly, startling her out of her rant and drawing attention back to him.

  
“Alright! So, Vampires. Apparently, those are a thing too. But what do you mean by hybrid? A hybrid of what exactly. Obviously, Vampire, since she shares the same feeling you do, and you’re one, but what else? And, is anybody concerned with the fact that blondie over there is bleeding?” Stiles asked, turning to focus on her as he let his Spark go toward her, focusing his thoughts on healing her. This wasn’t his brightest idea however, since shortly after healing her he collapsed even further into Elijah, groaning out in pain. He hadn’t realized just how much mojo he had used up.

  
“Right, I really shouldn’t have done that.” He said in a pained voice, grimacing as he felt a wave of dizziness and drowsiness hit him, the world around him spinning slightly as dark spots danced around his vision. This was super embarrassing.

  
“You really are reckless, aren’t you?” Elijah asked, and wow, rude. Stiles could barely make out Elijah’s exasperated look at he looked up and tried to focus on the man's face to glare at him, though he had no idea if he was successful in that or not.

  
“Just because you’re hot doesn’t mean you can be rude…” Stiles muttered at him, slowly blinking as he tried to keep himself conscious, though he failed and the drowsiness finally got to him, making him pass out from the exhaustion.

  
“So, brother, I think you have some explaining to do,” Klaus said, staring at Stiles who was still cradled in Elijah’s arms as the man looked down at the boy in worry.

  
**-3 Hours Later-**

  
Stiles groaned as he blinked his eyes open slightly, shuffling around from where he lay. He felt around a bit and noticed he was in a soft bed under the sheets. He looked around tiredly, still sleep drunk and sluggish, but sat up and propped himself up on the headboard. He was not alone at all, as the people who were at the abandoned building, sans the now dead Mikael and the witch boy who was with Davina, were present and seemed focused on him as he woke up from his slumber. Frankly, waking up to people staring at him was kind of creepy and uncomfortable, but sadly it was also a strangely common occurrence in his life.

  
“Do all supernatural creatures like watching me sleep for some reason? Is this some kind of universal trait all the weirdos of the world share, or am I just that fascinating?” Stiles snarked, shooting the room's occupants a joking dark look which made a few of them huff with laughter.

  
“How is it you were able to hold off father, but a simple healing spell had you fainting?” Elijah asked, looking at Stiles with a slight hint of curiosity but the question made Stiles groan as he propped himself up and roll his eyes. Honestly, did they think he was made of magic or some shit? Well, he technically was, but still!

  
"You know, that's a very rude question. And, if you must know, my power has a limit. I had already broken the spell around you, broken the chains, teleported several kilometers away, held off a Vampire, and then healed your friend, not to mention the magic I had already used before that. So yes, that tends to take a lot out of me." Stiles said, giving Elijah a look, which would have probably made the man wince if Elijah didn’t have such good control of his emotions. Though in truth Stiles wouldn’t have been nearly as drained as he had been if it wasn’t for his teleportation, they didn’t need to know that.  
  
“Apologies if that came off offensive, that wasn’t my intention,” Elijah said apologetically, his tone so sincere Stiles could not even pretend to be upset with him. Honestly, the man was extremely charming, and it had Stiles off-balanced. Also, Stiles really had a thing for accents and the one that Elijah and Klaus shared was really nice.  
  
“You said you aren’t a witch. What are you exactly?” Davina asked him, and while yes, Stiles knew she was curious about his magic and powers but she did frame that in a slightly tactless way, which seemed to be a running theme. But oh well, Stiles supposed most of his pack would be considered very tactless as well, so Stiles couldn’t really complain. Not to mention the fact that Stiles also wasn’t the most tactful person.  
  
“I’m a Spark,” Stiles said, fully aware how rare Sparks were, and smirking at the choked off sounds of surprise that came from Klaus, Elijah, and Marcel. So, they knew of his kind, that’s good. It made Stiles happy to know that Sparks weren’t completely obscure in the supernatural world. Though apparently both Klaus and Elijah were quite old, so Stiles wouldn’t be surprised if they had encountered a Spark before him.  
  
“At the risk of sounding stupid, what’s a Spark?” Davina asked, clearly a bit embarrassed by her lack of knowledge but curious enough by Elijah, Marcel, and Klaus’ reactions to swallow down her pride to ask. And judging by Hayley and the blond woman’s curious gazes they also wanted to hear the answer to Davina’s question. Thankfully, Elijah saved Stiles the effort of having to answer by taking over for the explanation.  
  
“A Spark is a magical being, not too unlike witches, but at the same time fundamentally different. Where witches channel their ancestors to perform more complicated magic and use the elements to draw power from, a Spark’s power comes from inside themselves and is powered through belief. The stronger a Spark’s belief is, the more powerful they are. Of course, the power level does vary from Spark to Spark but I’m sure you can imagine why they are feared and respected in the supernatural community. In addition to their powers, Sparks also have an acute sense for the supernatural, as Stiles demonstrated earlier when he deduced what you and young Kaleb were with ease.” Elijah explained, and while everything he said was true, there was a bit more to Stiles than just being a Spark, though that wasn’t something Stiles liked thinking about.  
  
Though his explanation, coupled with the marveling look Elijah and now Davina and Cami shot him caused Stiles to blush a bit, still, not overall the shyness and insecurities he had when he was younger. Meanwhile, Hayley looked impressed yet wary, her wariness mirrored by Marcel and Klaus. Their wariness was warranted, but before he could placate them in some way, he noticed just how hungry he was, and though he should curb the conversation so he could go and get some food.  
  
“As flattering as that description was, I’m starving. So, if you don’t mind, I’d like to go and- “He was cut off by Elijah flashing away before he reappeared with a tray of food, which he gently set down next to Stiles, giving him a kind smile before returning to where he had been standing before. “Or I could stay here, that works too,” Stiles said, dragging the tray a bit closer and sitting up some more, taking a slice of the apple first and munched on it politely as the group around him just sort of stood by and watched.  
  
“You know, it’s really uncomfortable to eat when a group of people stares at you,” Stiles commented, stressing the last part a tab and smiling a bit to himself as at least a few of them looked away in embarrassment. Stiles one, groups of strangers zero. Call him a dick, but he really loved messing with people. After eating a couple more pieces of food, Stiles cleared his throat a bit and started talking again. “So, what’s the deal with your father. He seemed… well, he seemed like an asshole.” He asked, causing most of the room's occupants to laugh, including Klaus, which Stiles counted as a win.  
  
“Well, little spark, you aren’t wrong. Father has always been a cruel man. Was a cruel man, I suppose? And now, thanks to you, he’s not an issue anymore.” Klaus said, a pleased smile on his face before it fell away as he focused on Stiles, his eyes hardening. “But that still begs the question, Stiles. Who are you, why are you here and what do you want from us?” He asked, now glaring suspiciously at Stiles, who sighed exasperatedly at Klaus’ behavior.  
  
“Well, as I’ve already said, I’m Stiles. I’m just here on vacation and for what it’s worth I don’t want jack shit from you. Actually, a thank you would be nice. The only reason I’m even talking to you now is that I can’t keep myself out of trouble and situations that don’t concern me and because I couldn’t very well just let Elijah stay in that torture dungeon under that curse.” He said, spitting out the word torture like it was poison, which made Klaus snort in amusement and looks at him mockingly.  
  
“And what would a child like you know of torture?” He asked, rather cruelly, now glaring at Stiles as if the boy had personally slighted him, which Stiles guessed was because of the way Stiles had spoken to him. Still, the question and tone sent his mind racing back to that small room in the Argents’ basement. His mind flashed with memories of pain and Boyd and Erica’s pained screams, of Gerard's mocking voice, trying to hound information out of him as his goons kept beating Stiles, of laying broken by the old Hale house, left as nothing but a message and of dragging his battered body home. He felt his body shaking as the room grew slightly colder from loose waves of his Spark which flowed out due to Stiles’ current condition.  
  
“I know plenty.” He whispered in a rather broken voice, mentally cursing himself for having momentarily lost control due to the memories that sprung up at Klaus' accusation. Stiles hated the sad looks that were thrown at him from around the room. He breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly, and just like that things went back to normal.  
  
“That was rather uncouth brother. You should curb your words, especially considering how much Stiles helped us. Or would you have preferred that father have killed one of us?” Elijah asked, his voice hard and chiding as he now glared at his brother, whose eyes narrowed right back in return.  
  
“Don’t presume as to tell me what to do, brother,” Klaus said, practically growling out his words before smirking suddenly. “Or shall I fetch the dagger?” He said, smirk broadening when Elijah’s glare got even more intense, to the point that Stiles was nervous they would break out into a fight, but Elijah’s whole body sagged suddenly, and the man looked at his brother with a sad expression.  
  
“Go ahead Niklaus, kill off the rest of your family. After all, fathers dead, so what do you need us for anymore, right?” He asked Klaus in a hushed, almost cracked voice before shaking his head to clear it and flashing out the room, leaving the door open behind him. Stiles stared at that spot where Elijah had been standing, heart, aching for the man whom he’d only just met. Hayley must have also thought along those lines, since she rushed out of the room as well, but not before throwing a quick “Dick,” at Klaus before she sped away.  
  
“Well, he was touchy,” Klaus said, though Stiles was the only person in the room who sensed the regret in the man’s voice since everybody else just glared at him, which made Klaus frown in turn. Davina scoffed and also stormed out of the room, with the blond woman and Marcel following closely behind her, leaving only Stiles and Klaus in the room. Despite the clear regret, Klaus felt judging by his tone Stiles couldn’t help but get pissed at the man though.  
  
“You’re an asshole.” He told him, shooting him a glare, not even flinching when Klaus flashed over to him and grabbed him by the neck, hand tightening ever so slightly, far from Klaus’ full strength but enough to act as a warning.  
  
“I could snap your neck in a flash. I suggest you not talk to me like that.” He said, hand tightening a fraction to illustrate his statement. Now, Stiles would be afraid had he not been so irritated on Elijah’s behalf. He didn’t necessarily hate Klaus, there was something about him that made Stiles think that he wasn’t this much of a dick, but right now he was caught up in the moment. And besides, Stiles didn’t take threats lying down.  
  
“Kinky. Now, get your hands off of me.” Stiles said, his eyes flashing from the burst of magic Stiles sent out, directing his Spark to send Klaus flying out of the room and slamming the door after him before sealing the room magically. Sure, he was super dead if he ever left the room, but there was no way Klaus or anybody else could get in there now, as demonstrated by the door handle turning aggressively as Klaus tried in vain to open it.  
  
‘I love magic sometimes.’ Stiles thought to himself, only to groan suddenly as the fatigue hit him again, making him slide down to lie on the bed and take another slice of apple, shoving the whole thing in his mouth and crunching it petulantly. ‘And then sometimes I don’t.’


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikaelson family feels. But will this be the last of them, or is there more to come?

**-The Mikaelson Compound, with Klaus-**  
  
Klaus sighed as he backed away from the door, glaring at it slightly. How dare that little Spark throw him out of a room in his own home? And speaking to him in such a manner. If this had been a couple of months ago Klaus wouldn't even have bothered with idle threats and would have just torn the boy's head clean off his body, but he was trying to be better for his daughter. Speaking of which, there was the matter of Elijah. Klaus felt… regretful for saying what he had. He didn't wish to fight with his family anymore, but he had still been on edge after his fight with Mikael and reacted with anger as he usually did.  
  
There was so much bad blood in the Mikaelson family. It seemed that even he, Rebekah, and Elijah could never get along, and the worst part was that Klaus felt largely at fault for that. He didn't know why he ruined everything he touched. Why couldn't he be like his siblings and be more kind and forgiving? Was it because he was a product of his father's abuse, or was Klaus just rotten and broken? He really didn't know, but he couldn't keep going like this. Not unless he wanted to end up broken and alone, with nothing but his own self-loathing. Something had to give, someone had to change, and that was Klaus. He owed it to his family to try at least. So, swallowing his pride he decided to start by apologizing to Elijah.  
  
So, with a final look towards the magically locked door, Klaus sped off to where he could hear Hayley and Elijah talking, Hayley seeming to comfort the Original. Hayley glared at him the second he stepped into the room, which, fair enough, while Elijah just looked weary. Elijah's look really made guilt pang through Klaus, even more so now than before.  
  
"Hayley, could I please talk to my brother alone?" Klaus asked, giving her as pleading of a look as he could bring himself to make. She seemed to study him for a moment before letting out a sigh of annoyance, rubbing Elijah's shoulder comfortingly one last time before speeding off somewhere.  
  
"What do you want Niklaus? Come to make good on your threat?" Elijah asked in a tired, dejected voice, making Klaus wince. Harsh, but he probably deserved it. Elijah had been putting up with his antics for over a millennium after all. And other than Rebekah, Klaus had probably treated Elijah the worst. It was sadly ironic in a way, the two of his siblings who were closest to him were the ones he had treated the worst. And then there was Kol, who was now back to life and somewhere out there, which made Klaus hope that he could reunite with him, despite his brother probably being recruited to help their mother. Sure Kol was destructive, perhaps even more so than even Klaus, but he had never gotten fair treatment from them. And Finn, well Klaus couldn't bring himself to feel bad for Finn.  
  
"I want to apologize… I don't know why I keep doing this Elijah. Why do I always hurt the people I care about. What's wrong with me?" Klaus asked, hating himself for letting his own self-hatred impede on the apology Elijah deserve, but he could help his broken tone as he looked at his brother sadly. And that was the question wasn't it, why did Klaus always hurt the people he cared for? Elijah seemed shocked for a moment, before his own expression also turned sad, his eyes pitying as he flashed forward and wrapped Klaus in a strong hug. If Klaus needed to breathe he was sure his breath would have stopped. He didn't know why, but something in him burst as Elijah hugged him. He wrapped his arms around Elijah in return, hands clenching tightly at his brother's suit as he started to weep for what seemed to be the first time in a thousand years.  
  
"Oh brother, nothing is wrong with you. You've suffered so much by our father's hand. You used to be such a loving person before our father's treatment of you hardened your soul. And then when we were turned the effect he had on you only served to further alienate you from us. We swore once that we would love each other, always and forever, but I could always feel you waiting for the moment we betray you, the moment we start treating you like father did. But that isn't going to happen Niklaus. Rebekah and I love you, and no matter how undeserving of it you think you are we will never leave you." Elijah said, comforting his brother as Klaus just held onto him even tighter, unable to keep the tears pouring from his eyes. This conversation was a thousand years in the making.  
  
"I don't deserve your forgiveness, or hers. I've treated you both as if you didn't matter to me. I've always been afraid that if I let you in if I showed how much I cared for you both you could be used against me. I don't want to feel like this anymore. I want to go back to the family we were before our mother turned us." Klaus whispered, clinging to Elijah with all he had. He didn't deserve this, he didn't deserve them. Seemingly reading his mind Elijah spoke once more.  
  
"You do deserve it Niklaus. Simply apologizing and admitting to your wrongs proves that you do deserve it. I certainly think so, and so will Rebekah. And in the end, it's our choice whether or not to forgive you, and I do. You could never make me hate you, Klaus, never." Elijah reassured him, rubbing his back soothingly. Klaus didn't know why his siblings kept forgiving him for his atrocities, but from here on out he swore he'd do right by them, he would be the brother they deserved.  
  
"Thank you, Elijah. I swear I'll be better. I have to be." Klaus swore, pulling away to look his brother in the eyes to show him just how sincere he was. No more, their family would be whole again, starting with this. This was one of many apologies he had to make, but he would be different from their father. He had to be. For his family. For Hope.  
  
**-1 Hour Later, with Stiles-**  
  
After a bit over an hour of eating and then relaxing to regain his energy Stiles finally felt safe enough to leave the room, he was holed up in, which upon further inspection was the room Elijah had first taken him after Stiles saved him. Stiles assumed this was Elijah’s room, but wasn’t sure as there weren’t many personal items around and Stiles didn’t feel right snooping. Slowly he opened the door and stepped out into what appeared to be a sort of compound or castle. The room had been on the second floor and he stepped out into a sort of terrace overlooking a courtyard in the middle, which had some people bustling around. He breathed in deeply, smiling at the scent of fresh flowers that carried through the air, as he propped his elbows on the parapet of the terrace. Just then he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him and he turned his head slightly to see Hayley walking up to him, looking much more relaxed than she had been the last time he saw her.  
  
“So, you’ve finally decided to come out of hiding.” She said, shooting him a small smile as she came to stand next to him, also leaning on the parapet. Stiles chuckled a bit, looking back towards the courtyard with a smile. It truly was beautiful here.  
  
“Well, can you blame me? I needed to recharge, especially after pissing that Klaus guy off. What’s his issue anyway. I mean, talk about a major asshole. It’s like he’s asking for people to hate him.” Stiles said, shaking his head at the thought of the Hybrid. The man reminded him of Jackson in a way. Obsessed with his high standing and superiority, always pushing others away and never showing vulnerability. Jackson had grown out of this after much pushing and prodding from the pack, and he and Stiles had grown quite close, so Stiles couldn’t help but wonder if Klaus just needed the same care Jackson had needed. Hayley giggled a little at what he said, looking at Stiles with a mirthful expression.  
  
“Well, you aren’t wrong, but I wouldn’t say that to his face if I were you. Klaus is… complicated. He certainly has his moments. He’s quite broken, hell, all the Originals I’ve met are in a way. I mean, most people have their fair share of trauma, but they’ve lived over a millennium, and it hasn’t exactly been a peaceful existence from what they’ve told me. It’s no wonder that they’ve closed themselves to the world, but Klaus has always been the slowest to open himself to others. Several lifetimes of pain will do that to you.” She said, her tone rather wistful as she thought of the Mikaelsons. Stiles didn’t really know what to do with this information. He was shocked she even spoke up in Klaus’ defense since she didn’t seem to be his biggest fan, but then again apparently, they’d had a child together at some point, so maybe it did make sense.  
  
“You know, I wouldn’t have expected you to defend him. Don’t get me wrong, you just didn’t seem very fond of him from what little I’ve seen. You two seem like you butt heads more often than not. Then again, perhaps I’ve judged some of you too quickly.” Stiles said, humming a little in thought as he sifted through what he had seen of the group of people and trying to compartmentalize what little information he had gathered.  
  
“I wouldn’t think about it too much if I were you. Trust me, it’s not worth the headache. And as far as Klaus is concerned, It’s sort of a rollercoaster with us. I try to see the good in him, and it is there, he really cares for the ones he considers to be his, but he’s also probably the most infuriating person I’ve met.” She said, also seeming to be deep in thought as Stiles was. Stiles, sensing that she was sadly saddened by this conversation, wanted to comfort her a bit.  
  
“Well, he doesn’t actually seem evil for what it’s worth. He just seems like a dick, but then so am I. I’ve learned from experience that people like him have a lot of pain and suffering they’re trying to hide behind their haughty facades. I think if you give him time, he’ll grow to trust you enough to let you in, if that’s what you want that is.” Stiles said, thinking once more of Jackson. He really was happy that the other boy had gotten over his insecurities and was in a better place. He should really give him and Lydia a call when he had the time. Then Stiles smiled as he thought of a way to get the woman next to him in good spirits again.  
  
“Besides, both him and Elijah are like lava hot, so it’s easier to ignore the mean part.” Stiles joked, grinning when she turned to him open-mouthed in surprise, pausing for a second before bursting out in laughter, nearly doubling over. He gave her a moment as she straightened up, wiping her eyes from the laughter tears that had gathered up there. As she calmed a little she smirked at Stiles, who suddenly got worried as he saw her mischievous expression. And what she said next only proved he was right to be worried.  
  
“You do know they can hear you right? I never thought I’d be present for any of the Originals doing a spit-take, much less Klaus of all people. Oh, that was gold. I owe you, really.” She said, laughing again when she saw his horrified, aghast expression. Honestly, he’d find this funny too if he wasn’t sure that he’d be killed by the Hybrid in the near future for this. This was only further proved by both Elijah and Klaus flashed behind them, embarrassed looks on both their faces.  
  
“That’s quite enough of that,” Klaus said, his face pinched slightly. Stiles froze a little from the Originals' appearance a little though, drawing in on himself as his mind flashed back to his last conversation with Klaus. Not only had he just put his foot in his mouth, but the residue anger Klaus likely harbored from their fight probably didn’t do any favors. Stiles looked down at the ground, backing away slightly, his body pressed firmly against one of the pillars of the parapet. What he didn’t expect though, was what Klaus did next.  
  
“I’m sorry.” The man said, his tone sincere, which was mirrored by his expression as Stiles' face whipped up to meet Klaus’. That certainly wasn’t what Stiles had expected, and he was surprised that the man was seemingly making an effort. Though, judging from Elijah’s proximity to Klaus and the now pleasantly surprised expression on his face he had not only made up with his brother but had also asked him to be kinder to Stiles. Well then, that was nice of him. Stiles, glad that the two had made up, and thoroughly unwilling to antagonize the man any further just gave him a warm smile. After all, when people who rarely apologized, and Stiles was certain Klaus was one of them, it wasn’t wise to antagonize or snark at them for it. That just tended to raise their walls back up. And judging by Hayley’s shocked expression this certainly was out of character for the man.  
  
“It’s fine,” Stiles said, and honestly it was. Stiles didn’t tend to hold grudges for long, not against people he liked at least, and Stiles had a feeling he’d like these people. For some reason, he felt at peace around them, despite his otherwise cautious and distrustful nature. Maybe it was his Spark’s way of telling him that he was safe with them.  
  
“So, little Spark, how are you finding New Orleans thus far?” Klaus asked, wearing a small, relieved smile on his face that Stiles was sure a less observant person might have missed. Stiles immediately brightened at the new topic though, happily launching into his experience in the city.  
  
“It’s amazing! The city is enchanting. It feels like this whole place is alive and singing. Everything is so beautiful, and you can see and sense magic wherever you go. The culture and history here are fascinating, as is the witch culture and ancestry. It’s been amazing learning all about it. The food is great too, though I think I’ve had enough gumbo and beignets to last me a lifetime. It’s a bit weird being in such a big city and not knowing anybody, but I truly love this place. There’s also a lack of supernatural creatures out to kill me, despite the supernatural presence throughout New Orleans, which has honestly been quite refreshing.” Stiles gushed, ready to launch into a whole tirade before catching on that he was starting to babble and cut himself off, looking away in embarrassment. He had curbed most of his bad habits, but he still tended to ramble, especially when excited and he still sometimes caught people’s annoyed expressions. It wasn’t like he meant to be annoying, he just couldn’t help it. And he really didn’t want any of these people to start disliking him. “I’m sorry, I have a tendency to ramble.” He muttered in way of explanation but froze up when a finger settled under his chin, tilting his head back up to look at Klaus, who gave Stiles a charming yet reassuring look.  
  
“Hey now, none of that darling,” Klaus said, his voice almost a rumble, the vibrato of which sent a small shiver dancing down Stiles’ spine. This was quite an… intimate position, and Stiles couldn’t help but lose himself in the Hybrid’s eyes, which were like dark pools that Stiles felt like he could drown in. Honestly, were all supernatural creatures stunning by nature? Stiles certainly didn’t think he was, though many of his pack often disagreed with him on that.  
  
“I, erm…” Stiles wasn’t quite sure what to say, or more accurately he didn’t trust himself to string together a coherent sentence at the moment, like with verbs and adjectives and stuff. Klaus seemed to immediately know the effect he was having on Stiles and smirked, the utter bastard.  
  
"Is something wrong darling?" Klaus very near purred out, reveling in the way Stiles' blush darkened. Though, he did catch Elijah look at the scene with a mix of curiosity and slight jealousy, which raised a couple of flags for Klaus, who didn't want his brother to be upset with him this soon after they made up. Teasing the young Spark wasn't worth that. Nothing was worth that. So while he'd discuss this with Elijah later he decided to change the topic. Besides, Stiles looked to be on the verge of overheating so this would be for the best.  
  
"Well darling, I know you just ate but would you like to join us for lunch? There are some things we'd like to discuss with you, and I think you deserve an explanation." Klaus said, backing away from Stiles, which did help the boy calm down slightly. After taking a slight breather Stiles straightened up and nod with a small smile, happy that he would finally be getting answers to his myriad of questions.  
  
"Yes please, I still have some questions, and I don't know that I'd be able to leave well enough alone without an explanation," Stiles admitted sheepishly, quite aware that there was no way in hell he could just leave without any answers. Also, he was quite reluctant to leave these people, as there was still something Stiles felt he had to do.  
  
"I have a feeling stubborn is going to be a running theme for you," Elijah said, and perhaps it would have been slightly offensive if not for the playful smile Elijah shot him. Stiles just giggled and bumped Elijah's shoulder as he passed him, which was a bit hard seeing as Stiles was shorter, and turned to smile at the group.  
  
"So, where are we heading?" He asked nobody in particular, curious about where they'd be eating. Elijah just smiled at him and extended his hand, which Stiles took as he let Elijah lead him to a dining hall, Klaus and Hayley following after them and chatting amongst themselves, but Stiles could barely focus on anything other than the feel of Elijah's calloused and strong hand around his own. Seriously, what was up with these guys and torturing Stiles with their attractiveness?  
  
"Here we are," Elijah said as they entered the dining room, pulling out a chair for Stiles in a gentlemanly challenge, letting   
Stiles sit before pulling out a chair for Hayley as well. Stiles was glad he wasn't the only one Elijah did that for because otherwise, his blush might never go down.  
  
As soon as they sat down a couple of people, vampires from the feel of them entered the room and set down food in front of them, setting the table and revealing some fancy steak that looked amazing, and smelled even better. Stiles was also offered some wine, which he gladly accepted. Stiles waited until the servers were done and were waved away by Klaus with the order to clear the nearby premises. Stiles was glad that nobody would be eavesdropping but used his spark to make it impossible for somebody outside of the room to overhear them anyway. Better safe than sorry.  
  
"So," he said, taking a small sip of his wine, which was delicious, " where do we start this exactly?" Stiles asked, curious just how much they'd tell him. Obviously, it wouldn't be everything, as they were still strangers and there was no way that they trusted Stiles enough to not keep some things to themselves but they also didn't look like they were opposed to the conversation either, and they had offered it, so Stiles was hopeful he wouldn't be entirely in the dark by the end of this.  
  
"Well, perhaps from the beginning would be easiest. You see, we weren't always Vampires. A tad over a thousand years ago we were just a regular family. Our village was small, but it was beautiful and safe, for the most part. Our family consisted of our mother, the witch Esther, our father, Mikael, Finn, the oldest, me, Niklaus, Kol, our younger brother, Rebekah, the second youngest, and Henrik the youngest. Our parents had another child before Finn, but she died of a sickness before the rest of us could be born. This death allegedly hardened our father, and he became the man you saw yesterday…" Here, Elijah paused, looking to Stiles who was completely invested in the story before laying a calming hand on Klaus' shoulder as he continued his tale.  
  
"The first couple of years of our lives were normal, but we could always tell that our father, although he was tough on the rest of us, always treated Niklaus the worst. At the time we didn't know why, but eventually, we would come to learn that Klaus wasn't Mikael's son, but the product of an affair our Mother had. Mikael had always suspected this and thus treated Niklaus terribly. I… if there is anything I regret in my life it's not killing Mikael the second he laid a hand on Niklaus." Elijah whispered in admittance, glaring off to the side. Stiles could see Hayley's hand clench around the fork in her hand, which mirrored his own which were balled up around the hem of his shirt. And you could clearly tell Klaus was trying his best to show weakness in front of them and break down.  
  
"Once every month the people of our village would lock their houses and hide ourselves inside to keep safe from the people of the neighboring village. Once a month they would shed their human skin and turn into beasts. Curious about this, like all the children in our village, Klaus and Henrik snuck out to see the men transform, but they were attacked, causing Henrik to lose his life." Elijah explained, doing his best to not lay any of the blame for Henrik's death on Klaus because it wasn't and Klaus was already down.  
  
"Because of this, our mother flew into a panic, not wanting to lose any more children she trapped us and cursed us with the vampiric curse, before killing us all one after the other to trigger the transformation. For a long time, we struggled to learn about our vampiric natures and to learn to live with them. And then, when Niklaus made his first human kill, his werewolf gene awakened, revealing finally that our mother had, in fact, been unfaithful. Mikael, blinded by rage forced me to tie Niklaus down and made our Mother curse and bind his werewolf side. Then our father went after and killed Klaus' father, who was the Alpha of the wolves, which started the war between vampires and werewolves. With everything that had happened Niklaus killed our mother for her betrayal, framing our father and letting us run for our lives. For the next millennium, we were on the run, constantly escaping from our father, who was hellbent on destroying Klaus and the rest of us also for siding with him. During that time we were also looking for a way to break Klaus' curse, which we only succeeded in doing two years back. And that is the tale of the Originals, more or less." Elijah said, wrapping up his story and letting Stiles process it.  
  
"Ok, I have about a thousand questions. What do you mean he unlocked his werewolf gene after killing? Nobody from my pack has had to do that and they are full-blown wolves. Well, most of them are bitten, but I don't think the born ones had to either." Stiles asked as that was the most glaringly obvious disparity from what he knew to be true. Here, Klaus stepped in to explain.  
  
"There are two different types of werewolves. From what had been explained to me there were two brothers who got blessed by the wolf goddess Lupa. You know them as Romulus and Remus. But then, somewhere down the line, Romulus' line was cursed so that any who were born or bitten through his heritage would be slaves to the moon, only transforming once during the full moon, and extremely painfully at that. They would also only awaken their wolf side when their highly increased tempers inevitably lead them to taking a human life. Meanwhile, Remus' descendants remained the way you know them now, which led to resentment and divided between the lines which eventually led them to not even acknowledge one another. The only way to free a Romulus descendant from their curse is through a spelled ring, which is difficult to create, making it so that most wolves don't have access to them." Klaus explained, and Stiles ate it up, listening with rapt attention to what Klaus was saying. So was Hayley for that matter, who seemed surprised by what Klaus said.  
  
"And Vampires, how do they work?" Stiles asked, thirsty for more information. The two Originals were like fountains of knowledge and Stiles wanted to learn everything they would be willing to tell him.  
  
"Well for the most part we are like Vampires you would know from films. We have super speed, strength, hearing, and we live forever. We can also compel humans to do our bidding. We need to drink blood to survive or else we will go frenzied with thirst and eventually dry out and become living corpses. There are three ways to kill a vampire. Setting them on fire, severing their head, or staking them through the heart. Vampires also can't go outside in the sun, unless they have a daylight ring that lets us roam the land freely. We Originals are like other Vampires, but stronger in every way, with the ability to compel other vampires as well, and can only be killed through the use of a White Oak Stake, of which none are remaining." Elijah explained, and Stiles made sure to study every part of what Elijah said. Talk about OP, even normal Vampires seemed scary.  
  
"Ok, I understand. And then, you said your mother was a witch, were you guys also witches before becoming Vampires?" Stiles asked, wanting to move to more conversational topics as to not make the lunch last forever, though he would definitely probe for more information at a later point. Here Elijah chuckled slightly.  
  
"Well, yes but most of us were no good. I was always more competent at sword fighting, and Rebekah had no interest in the craft. Finn tried for mother's sake, but we could all tell his heart wasn't in it. Kol however, well, he always reveled in it. I think the biggest reason he caused such havoc as a vampire was because the thrill he got from magic was gone forever. He was amazing at it, would probably be better at it than mother had he not be transformed." Elijah said, reminiscing on the old times. Klaus meanwhile looked to be considering something which Elijah said.  
  
"You know, I never figured out why he acted out so much but I think you're right. He was quite out of it the first years. More so than the rest of us." Klaus said, wondering just how much their transformation had destroyed his younger brother. Klaus knew firsthand how it felt to lose a piece of you, but for Klaus getting his werewolf side back was a possibility. Meanwhile, Kol would forever be without magic.  
  
"Yes, he certainly was. On the topic of magic though, I'm certain that our mother will somehow know it was you that intervened in her curse. Certainly, at least the New Orleans ancestors would tell her as they aren't fond of Vampires. I don't think it's safe for you in New Orleans anymore." Elijah stated, making Stiles gulp. He was fairly certain, actually, no, he was sure he could take her in a one on one, but she had minions and Stiles was low on mojo, plus he was sadly quite easy to ambush. Suddenly struck by the fact that this meant he had to leave the city and go home, Stiles started to panic a bit for some reason.

"That's why I'd like you to stay here for the remainder of your stay. I'm not going to ask you to help us if we are in need, but I have a feeling you'll somehow just do so anyway." Elijah said, and Stiles audibly sighed in relief. He could stay, that was good. But then, Stiles had no idea why he felt such a need to stay in New Orleans. Thankfully they'd let him stay with them at the compound, which would mean he'd be safe from Esther. It also means that he could stay close to the Originals, which if nothing else meant he'd be learning tons during the rest of his stay.  
  
"I… I'd love to stay. Truthfully I feel like there's something keeping me here like I shouldn't leave yet. I don't know why, but I think I'm meant to help you. And you're right that I'd have helped either way." Stiles admitted, looking away a bit embarrassed.  
  
"Well, then it's decided. Shall we go and fetch your things from wherever you're staying?" Elijah asked, standing up and moving away from the table and Stiles stood to follow, smiling to Hayley and Klaus as he walked off with Elijah. The two stood there for a moment in silence before Hayley sighed out.  
  
"You know, I think you would be an amazing father." She said, before standing and walking off herself, not catching Klaus' brilliant smile. Yes, this is certainly a start.  
  
**-Later that day, at Dinner-**  
  
Stiles giggled a bit at the scene before him. After getting Stiles' stuff from the hotel and getting him settled in Klaus had come to inform them that they would be having a dinner party in a couple of hours. Everybody from earlier that day had gathered and were awkwardly sitting around the table, probably wondering why the hell they were here. From what he could tell they probably never had dinners together then. It was quite plain to see a few of them were extremely on edge. And, in addition to Klaus, Elijah, Hayley, Marcel, Davina, and the blond, who Stiles had now learned was named Camille, there was a fledgling vampire boy named Joshua who had come along with Davina and Marcel and he looked wildly uncomfortable.  
  
"So Davina, Elijah told me you're an amazing witch. I hope I don't offend you but I was hoping you could tell me a bit more about how exactly the ancestral connections work? I've tried asking a couple other witches but they all seemed pretty uptight about it." Stiles asked the girl, who looked a little less awkward now that somebody had spoken and there was a distraction to be had. And it was true, most of the witches Stiles had met just gave him a weird look and didn't answer much more than what Stiles could find in the books.  
  
"Oh! Well, I guess that makes sense since the ancestors are all the witches that have died through the ages. Although truth be told the ancestors don't like me much…" She trailed off slightly, clearly thinking about something unpleasant judging by the way everybody tensed.  
  
"I… The ancestors don't really care about individuals. As long as the community is strong they let anything happen. And that's something that the French Quarter witches agree with. They'd sacrifice anything to maintain their powers. Mostly the ancestors try to preserve the balance of nature, but I don't know that balance is what they truly strive for. At any rate, the way ancestral magic works is that the ancestors basically donate the powers they had during the time they were alive to you so that you can then use them to power your own spells. A witch isn't always compatible with the ancestry, since every witch is good and bad at different practices of magic, but channeling ancestors in generally safer." She explained, giving Josh a smile as he laid a comforting hand on her while she gave her explanation.

"I see.…But then, wouldn't that mean that by virtue of how residual magic works that these ancestors wouldn't be able to stick around if the living witches didn't continue to channel and thereby tether them to this plane?" Stiles asked, trying to work out the logistics of things, not realizing just how much his question would disturb her.  
  
"But that… that would mean that the ancestors siphon off the living to prevent themselves from passing on to the Other Side. I… Is that why not all dead witches exist as ancestors?" Davina asked, hand to her mouth as she shook slightly from the realization. Stiles looked at the girl sadly as she realized just how little she knew of the ancestors that were so highly thought of in their community.  
  
"Well not necessarily siphon, but it would take some of the area's natural magic to keep the ancestors on this plane. After all, it's nature's laws that the dead shouldn't interact with the living. It's why the Other Side exists." Stiles explained, which calmed her down quite a bit but she still looked disturbed.  
  
"So, what's this dinner even about Klaus?" Marcel asked, clearly not comfortable being here and also wanting to divert some attention to Davina, who now was deep in thought. It was a fair question though, Stiles had no clue why everybody was brought together. Klaus smirked a bit, turning to Marcel.  
  
"Well, we have cause to celebrate. Mikael's dead, which means everybody here is much safer. Oh and Davina, I'll overlook the fact that you were working with him this time. Thanks to you he's finally gone." The last part was said with such relief it was almost jarring to the otherwise haughty speech. "And besides, we also have to celebrate Stiles, who saved the day. Here's to Stiles!" He went bag to the cocky, haughty manner of speaking, sending a wink Stiles way when he started blushing in embarrassment as the man raised a glass. This was mirrored by everybody, which made him feel even more on the spot. He was such an asshole.  
  
**-Later that evening, with Klaus-**  
  
Klaus smiled as he sat in his armchair, swirling his whiskey glass slightly as he mused about the day's events. All in all, things had gone pretty well with the dinner. There had been no fights, and if that wasn't a miracle Klaus didn't know what was. The little Spark brought a sort of lightness and fun into the room that let most of them relax and just enjoy themselves, and Klaus felt that some bridges had started to be built that day. Maybe the Spark being here was a good thing.  
  
At the very least, repairing some of the damage that had been done to his relationship with Elijah was very soul-soothing. The relief he felt when he knew for certain he had Elijah's forgiveness and that they still loved each other was a relief he had only felt when he knew hope was safe after she had first been born. The feeling was very cathartic and intoxicating. There may yet be hope for Klaus, how ironic.  
  
And thus he sat there, playing around with his cellphone, debating with himself whether or not he should really do what he was about to. But then, it wasn't really a choice and he'd certainly regret it. So, swallowing down his nervousness, and he was nervous, he pressed call and pressed the phone to his ear. After only a couple of rings, the phone call went through.  
  
"Nik? What do you want?" Rebekah's voice rang through the other line. Klaus winced since she didn't sound to be in the best of humor but he really couldn't back away now.  
  
"Rebekah, I need to talk to you about something." He said, trying to work up the courage to just spit it out. He didn't know why this was so difficult, much more than talking to Elijah had been. Perhaps because Rebekah had always been more temperamental like Klaus, which left a lot of room for this to go bad, or maybe it was because it was over the phone.  
  
"Oh, what is it now Nik, gotten yourself into another mess?" She replied sassily which, fair enough, he deserves that. He'd probably had let her take whatever potshot at him that she wanted right now, too nervous to really get mad.  
  
"Actually I'm calling because you deserve an apology." He said, and well, here goes nothing. This could either go really well or beyond terribly. Especially considering he had arguably wronged her more than Elijah, and she certainly held grudges longer than his saint of a brother.  
  
"Oh." She said, and that certainly wasn't helpful. There was no real discernable emotion to it, no way to tell in she was pleasantly surprised or completely over it. Typical Rebekah, being as difficult as possible. Well, nobody said this would be easy, and god knows Klaus probably didn't deserve her going easy on him.  
  
"And what prompted this sudden apology? Have you perchance been struck by lightning lately? Sustained some sort of brain injury perhaps?" She snarked and Klaus couldn't help but chuckle slightly at her antics. He always enjoyed her frankness and biting tongue, even when it was aimed at him which it quite often was.  
  
"Hmm no, not that I can recall, though that's probably not reassuring." He joked back before turning serious again. "I… this is harder than I thought I'd be. I'm sorry for making your life miserable Rebekah. I'm so sorry I've been an awful brother. I'm sorry I've never let you live your life, and that I've never let you be in love. I'm sorry for hurting you, and for never letting you close even though you've been there for me despite how awful I am." He said, thoughts and words jumbled as he struggled to keep himself together. One crying outburst was enough for one day.  
  
"… Then why Nik. Answer me why, why did you do all of that?" She asked, and he was almost glad she didn't just let him off the hook. He had to answer for what he had done to her.  
  
"After what mother did I never let myself trust anybody again. I thought, despite what we had sworn to each other that eventually, you would grow to hate me and turn on me as well. So I guess I just expedited the process. And the more you kept forgiving and sticking with me the angrier I grew because it might mean that everything I've thought and all the excuse I'd made for mothers betrayal wouldn't be true. I was selfish, I wanted you with me so I never let you have somebody to love, but I never trusted you enough to let you in. You deserve better than me." He said, waiting with bated breath for her response.  
  
"Oh, Nik… You insufferable, idiotic, stubborn asshole. Of course, I've stuck with you. I'm your sister and I love you. But you're right, I deserve better. So can you be? Can you change?" She asked him, so ready to forgive him, just like Elijah, that Klaus barely held back from breaking down.  
  
"I… yes. I swear, from now on I'll be a proper brother to you. Anything to earn the forgiveness that you so readily give." He said, wearing a watery smile. Thankfully this had gone well, but then his siblings always were better people than him.  
  
"Then there is nothing to be forgiven Nik. But if you pull the same old shit again I won't hesitate to call you out on it." She said warningly, making Klaus chuckle.  
  
"Well, I can't swear I'll never fall back into old habits, but I promise to try." He swore to her, and he'd do his darndest to live up to his promise.  
  
"All I've ever wanted was for you to try… Thank you for this Nik. Oh, listen I have to go take care of… some things." She said, and Klaus instantly knew what she meant. He smiled thinking of her doting on Hope and knew his daughter.

"Yes, I'll leave you to it then. And thank you, for everything." He said, hanging up the call and smiling at his phone in the aftermath. Two down, likely thousands to go. But for the time being, it was high time he got his son back.


	3. Chapter 3

**-The Mikaelson Compound, With Stiles-**

Stiles sighed as he finally settled in for the day, tired from the myriad of events and recent happenings. It certainly had been an action-packed day, but sadly he couldn't go to sleep just yet as he had convinced himself to call up Lydia and Jackson before going to bed. So, after sending his dad the usual good night message he facetimed Jackson, who picked up pretty quickly. Stiles could see that he and Lydia were in bed, probably about to go to sleep and Stiles hoped he hadn't caught them post-coitus because ew, gross.

"Hey Dork, what's up?" Jackson asked, raising a brow at him. Once upon a time that had been an insult, but now was nothing more than an ongoing joke between the two. Jackson didn't mean it offensively, probably never had, as most of his previous behavior had been bluster and posturing. Besides, it helped to see Lydia cuff Jackson upside the head for the comment.

"Hey Jack-ass, nothing much, just calling to talk to you of all people for some reason. This doesn't make me a masochist does it?" He snarked, giggling as Lydia groaned and rolled her eyes, watching Jackson's eyes glimmer in amusement as well. They did this as an inside joke yes, but watching Lydia get annoyed was a bonus as well. Besides, since Stiles was far away at the moment he didn't have to fear her wrath. Sucks for Jackson though, but that wasn't Stiles' problem, was it?

"Ugh, boys. I swear, something about testosterone impedes your brains and mouths from being fully connected. Or perhaps your brains just don't function." She said in her wonderfully biting tone that always had Stiles rolling on the floors in tears from laughing.

"You know you love us," Stiles said, watching as she rolled her eyes again, but her lips quirked up a little as she pecked Jackson on the cheek, who then proceeded to fake being grossed out and wipe it away, causing her to cuff him again and making Stiles nearly cackle.

"God knows why I do. I must be just as much of a dumbass as the rest of you I guess." She replied, glaring slightly at Jackson. It was all play pretend, but it was funny watching her do it.

"Oh, so she finally admits it. Well Miss High and Mighty, I never thought I'd see the day." Stiles answered. You know, he couldn't place when he had gotten so comfortable with Lydia and Jackson, but it felt amazing being able to so easily talk and joke with people who honestly scared him for quite a while. And besides, he loved them, despite their murky past. And they were a pack, no matter what.

"Stiles, don't make me get over there." She threatened, making him gulp. She was still scary though, she would always be.

"Speaking of which, where is there? You're clearly not at your hotel. Did you finally get laid Stilinski?" Jackson asked, lifting one of his perfect brows at Stiles. Of course, he'd picked up on it. Honestly, Stiles was surprised Lydia hadn't mentioned it yet. The at the getting laid part Stiles could help but think of two certain individuals.

"Nope, still hopelessly a virgin. But yes, I am staying somewhere else for the rest of the trip." He finished rather awkwardly, bracing himself for the questions which would inevitably come. Best get it all out of the way anyway.

"Stiles. What did you do?" Lydia asked, looking at him through the phone in a deadpan, Jackson joining her, though his look was much more exasperated. And their looks were probably warranted, but might as well pretend to be offended at least.

"Me? Why do you assume I di…" He trailed off as he saw Lydia's look, which promised a dark future for him if he didn't spill the beans. "Fine. So, I may have sensed a man being tortured, and then went to save him but now have to hide out from the witch who cursed him. And I may have to stick around in New Orleans because I feel that there's something here that I have to do." He said, speaking quickly and wincing at the end, wincing as he heard her sigh.

"Right. So try that again, but a lot more details." She said, making Stiles groan. Ok fine, so he wouldn't get to go to bed early after all.

**-The next morning-**

Stiles yawned as he blinked his eyes blearily, stretching his body as much as he could. Early mornings were never his favorite, especially since Lydia and Jackson had grilled him for details for at least an hour before spending another one doting on him over the phone and making him promise to be safe before finally letting him go to bed. Honestly, it was sweet that they worried so much, but Stiles would have preferred them to have let him sleep for longer. Especially since he had now overslept. Hopefully, he wouldn't make a bad impression for waking up late.

Crawling out of bed Stiles went to the on-suite to take a quick shower before dressing himself, putting on his best jeans, the ones that made his ass look amazing, for… non-specific reasons. After checking himself in the mirror one last time he walked out of the room and headed towards the kitchen to pick up a snack since he probably, definitely missed breakfast. Thankfully Elijah was there when Stiles stepped into the kitchen, which saved Stiles the trouble of having to look for him after breakfast.

"Good morning Elijah!" Stiles said, walking over to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup, distinctly aware of Elijah's eyes on him. Gods, he loved these jeans. Of course, they were ones Lydia had gotten him, so it's no wonder they fit impeccably.

"Good morning Stiles. Did you sleep well?" Elijah asked, his eyes darting back up to Stiles' face when he turned back around and leaned back to the counter. Stiles smiled brightly at the man.

"I slept pretty well, at least after my friends finished up with their little interrogation round. They mean well, but they can get quite clingy." Stiles commented, taking a sip of his coffee, which was like ambrosia for his sleepy soul. Elijah offered him a small smile at the comment.

"Well, I'm glad you have people who care and look out for you." The man said, making Stiles blush a bit. Of course, the man was charming even early on in the day. Then again, it wasn't actually all that early. Hopefully, Stiles would be able to get through his to-do list for the day, though there was only one major point on it. Speaking of which.

"Elijah, may I please have Davina's number? I'd like to meet with her to talk more about what we discussed yesterday." Stiles said, and to his defense, he would like to talk to her more about the topic, but it certainly wasn't his primary goal. Hopefully, it would all pan out. Elijah for his part just considered Stiles for a moment before nodding and walking up to him, taking Stiles' phone when the boy offered it.

"Here we go. I've put in all the other's numbers as well, please don't hesitate to call if you need anything," Elijah said, handing Stiles' phone back to him. Stiles smiled at him, nodding in thanks before opening up a text thread with Davina.

'Hey it's Stiles, I'd like to meet with you to discuss something. Think you could bring that Kaleb guy with you?' He asked and put his phone away, and then continuing to sip at his coffee and make idle chatter with Elijah while also taking an apple to tide himself over until lunch. He perked up when he received a notification after a couple of minutes.

'I just spoke with him and he'll come along. Do you want to meet in half an hour? I'll send you the location of a great café I know.' She replied, apparently having spoken with Kaleb before giving Stiles her answer. He sighed in relief. Well, so far so good.

**-30 minutes later, Café-**

Stiles breathed in deeply, letting the smell of freshly baked goods wash over him as he cradled his hot chocolate. Yes, he loved coffee, but chocolate was a weakness of his and he couldn't resist getting it after seeing the giant mug one of it that another customer had when he walked in. He was a bit early so he could survey the area and set some spells up as a precaution. What can he say, he likes being prepared.

He took a deep breath as he saw Davina and Caleb walk across the street from outside the window and walk up to the coffee shop. Well, here we go. This had the potential to blow up in his face, badly, but he'd take his chances. If nothing else just to satisfy his curiosity. Though Stiles had a feeling that this had something to do with why his Spark was pulling him to New Orleans and the Originals. And a certain witch.

"Hey, guys." He greeted as they sat down across from him. He could tell they were confused and that both were on edge, though Kaleb was much tenser and guarded than Davina, who mostly just looked like she couldn't figure out what Stiles' angle was.

"Hey, Stiles. So… what's up?" She asked awkwardly and Stiles smiled on the inside, relating to the girl's attempt of digging for information, albeit not so subtly. It reminded Stiles of his younger self by quite a bit, though he supposed now wasn't the time for subtlety.

"I'm going to be straight up with you Davina. I'm here because I got very weird vibes from Kaleb and I wanted to make sure he wasn't dangerous to you because I think you're a nice person. Oh, and when I say weird vibes I mean magically, not that he just looks like a dick. He doesn't look like a dick by the way." Stiles said, wincing halfway through at how this sounded. Hopefully, this Kaleb guy wasn't evil but then Stiles had met them at a public place which would hopefully deter Kaleb from attacking him, in addition to the spells Stiles had set up.

Davina looked quite surprised and sent a worried glance at Kaleb, who looked scared for his part. Ok, so she knew what was up with Kaleb, and by the looks of it, it wasn't something dark and sinister. Stiles hadn't quite anticipated Kaleb's reaction to Stiles' confrontation. He had expected him to be angry, or even nervous but the other guy seemed terrified for some reason.

"D-do Klaus and Elijah know?" Kaleb asked in a trembling voice, and at this Stiles did actually tilt his head in confusion. Sure Elijah and Klaus were powerful, but Stiles couldn't quite figure out why them specifically knowing whatever Kaleb was hiding would be a bad thing. Whatever it was it had to be related to the two in some way, but how?

"If you're worried I told them that my Spark detected something off about you, then no. I haven't spoken to them about what I'm meeting you two for today. Though they both seem smart, so I'd wager to guess that they would find you sketchy too, no offense." Stiles said, trying his best not to sound offensive. So maybe he wasn't as well versed in being straight forward as he thought, but then it was Stiles. Being awkward, sassy, and mildly offensive was just how he functioned. Thankfully Kaleb didn't look as terrified anymore, but he was still shaking a bit and looked ready to bolt at the first sign of either Original.

"Well, Klaus is always suspicious of everybody, overly cautious as he is," Kaleb mumbled making Stiles narrow his eyes slightly at the boy in consideration. How would Kaleb know Klaus' personality? Granted Stiles didn't know how well the two knew each other but from the slight plying and probing Stiles had done at dinner he figured that the boy had scarcely ever spoken to the Originals. It was already weird how terrified Kaleb was of them, but now Stiles was certain  
Kaleb had some involvement with them in the past.

"Well, he is a monster. Naturally, he goes after everybody." Davina said, a hint of a sneer marring her features. Oh, well there certainly was some tragic backstory there that Stiles wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole, but hey, he was already mending bridges between these people, what's one more.

"He's not a monster," Kaleb said, making Stiles freeze from where he was about to defend Klaus as well. And really, what was this dude playing at. First, he's terrified of Klaus, then he acts as if he knows him, and now he's outright defending Klaus against Davina, who Stiles presumed Kaleb was involved with. It oddly reminded Stiles of how Scott would defend Stiles' honor after he did something to annoy one of the others, but that's to be expected. Scott and he are brothers after all.

"How can you say that, after everything Klaus has done? After all, they've done to you." Davina asked Kaleb, now looking at him, clearly upset and struggling to understand Kaleb, who for his part looked quite sad. It was strange to see, but Stiles was willing to let it play out if only to glean whatever information he could from their conversation.

"I… you don't know him like that. He didn't use to be like this." Kaleb mumbled in Klaus' defense, drawing in on himself and sounding like he didn't know if he even meant the words coming out his mouth. Not that they made any sense, since from what Elijah had told Stiles Klaus had been the way he was for hundreds of years, and there's certainly no way a witch had lived that long. But Kaleb was a witch, so what gives?

"I don't care what he used to be like. People I care about are dead because of him. And he just turned around and forced me to help him after killing them. I may not know how he used to be, but I know what he's become, and I hate it." She said passionately, looking quite ready to continue the argument, but when she looked at how Kaleb drew in on himself she deflated. And Stiles understood how she felt. It was like when he argued with Isaac and the boy would react badly to something Stiles said or some way Stiles moved and suddenly the air would knock out of Stiles, as he was fully aware of who the boy was thinking about.

And that was the issue. Kaleb looked exactly like how Isaac would at that moment. (1) It was weird because for all intents and purposes Kaleb shouldn't know Klaus. He should be scared of Klaus, not in the way Isaac was scared of his father. Granted, it was nowhere near the level of Isaac's fear, but it was still thick in the air and tangible. It was strange because Kaleb didn't seem like the type to be like this, Stiles honestly had him pegged for somebody more like Erika. Post werewolf transformation Erika, to be specific. And yet here was this guy, drawing in on himself and in full conflict between agreeing with Davina's scathing assessment and wanting to defend Klaus. Like only a scorned family member could.

"… You're Kol, aren't you?" Stiles asked, reentering the conversation, startling both of them, though only Kaleb visibly flinched, going back to looking scared. Davina looked ready to step between them, though surprisingly it was to protect Kaleb… Kol? At any rate, it certainly proved she was fully aware.

"I.…Please don't tell them. Please, I'm begging you." The now revealed Kol pleaded, and Stiles was confused. Sure, Stiles had figured out that there was a lot of unspoken hurt between the Originals, but Stiles didn't think it would be this bad. It made Stiles question what he knew of Klaus and Elijah, and yet he couldn't bring himself to question them, even in his head. Though he certainly wasn't about to let Kol walk around terrified like that. He'd done everything to soothe Isaac's fears, and he'd do everything to soothe Kols.

"I'm not going to. I swear. But why are you so terrified of them? They seemed upset to have lost you, wistful, in a way." Stiles questioned, trying his best to understand the boy across from him. Though boy wasn't the right term, considering the person inhibiting him was a centuries-old vampire.

"I… I just can't face them. They'd wouldn't understand. They never did." Kol said, drawing in on himself, even more, looking to be struggling to breathe. Stiles, who was quite familiar with panic  
attacks immediately saw it for what it was and used his Spark to make the Kol calm down and bring him back from the panic attack.

"Thank you… It's really hard to talk about this. Gods, it's all such a mess. I'm… not terrified of them per se. But, I'm only back to life and in this body because mother needed me for her plot against Klaus. She brought me and Finn back, but I didn't want to help her. She… she said that if I didn't she'd just send me back to the other side. I… I can't go back there. Please, I don't want to be alone again." Kol said, starting to cry and get upset again despite the calming spell Stiles had put on him, showing just how scared Kol truly was of this. By this point, Davina had abandoned all else and was just comforting Kol.

"Then, wouldn't you be safer with Elijah and Klaus? Surely they'd protect you." And Stiles did not doubt that they would, despite not knowing them that well. He couldn't explain it, but he knew they would.

"You don't understand, they've always seen me as the trouble maker. I've always been the last on the list of priorities, and I doubt Klaus would trust me at all, given the reason mother brought me back was to help her kill them all." Kol said, shaking his head at Stiles' suggestion while Davina just glared at him.

"I think he would. I know I haven't been around for long, like at all. I can't explain it, but I know he would trust you and protect you from her. And I know Elijah would do the same. I won't pretend to know your history with each other, nor would I insult you by pretending things weren't that bad between you, because I can imagine it was. But as they are now there is no doubt in my mind that they'd welcome you back." Stiles declared, voice full of conviction.

"How could you possibly know that?" Kol whispered brokenly, his posture relaxing as he leaned tiredly into Davina, who supported him as he sagged against her. She was probably against what Stiles was trying to do, she certainly didn't agree with him about Klaus, but she was giving it a shot for Kol's sake.

"I guess it's because of my Spark. The whole time it's been guiding me, and it's telling me that Elijah and Klaus are worth trusting. Worth defending. And my Spark rarely thinks people are worth that." Stiles said, and it was true. His Spark, despite being protective of the pack as well, was acting in an unprecedented way when it came to the Originals.

"Your Spark?" Kol question, looking a tab surprised. Oh, so Davina hadn't told him that Stiles was a Spark. Well, it had only been revealed the day prior, but he'd have expected her to have done so.

"Yes, and it's been pushing me to meet with you as well. That's why I asked you and Davina to come here. I don't know what it's telling me, not exactly, but I feel like I'm meant to intervene in this situation between your mother and Klaus and Elijah in some way. I think that's why my Spark is making me stay in New Orleans. Perhaps why I came here, to begin with." And it was a startling realization, that perhaps he didn't come here of his own volition, not completely at least. He wasn't a slave to his Spark, he certainly felt free in comparison to the Nogitsune, but it made Stiles worry that he wasn’t as good at controlling it as he thought. After all, Sparks were wild things, untamed.

"But why would it do that?" This time the question came from Davina, who had broken off of her fussing, looking at him with eyes brimming with curiosity.

"I don't know. I know that's probably not the answer you want to hear, but it's the truth. I can just tell that this is something I'm meant to do. I don't believe in destiny, I think everybody can carve out their own path and change their own fates, but I can't help but feel I was destined to do this. It sounds so self-aggrandizing, putting it like that, but I don't know how else to put it." He admitted, glad to be able to sort out his thoughts about the whole situation by talking with somebody about it.

"… I believe you. But, I don't know what to do… How would I even talk to them?" Kol asked, a small glint of hope sparking up for the first time during the conversation. Stiles didn't know why but he felt protective of Kol for some reason, so he was happy to see him a little less manic and scared.

"I'd help you, and I'm sure Davina would be there for you as well. You can wait to do it if you want, so you could work up the courage." Stiles said but after a moment of consideration, Kol just shook his head.

"No, I don't do well with thinking over things, I tend to spiral and do something stupid I end up regretting. If I do this I have to do this now." Kol said, looking like he really didn't want to, but then again Stiles got why it wasn't first on Kol's agenda. It was hard facing your loved ones, fearing not being accepted. Stiles knew firsthand what that felt like, after the whole Nogitsune debacle.

"Ok, then we'll go now," Stiles said, standing up and placing a reassuring hand on Kol's shoulder before placing money for the bill on the table.

**-A couple of minutes later, Mikaelson Compound-**

It was sad that this had to be rushed this much because Kol looked worse for wear and Stiles didn't feel right, but he didn't want to wait it out, both because he wanted to reunite the brothers and because he didn't think it would be safe for Kol as he was. If the Mikaelson matriarch enacted the spell to put him in Kaleb's body then she could easily undo it, and Kol would be back to the Other Side. Or, from what Stiles had seen of Elijah, she could do much worse to him too.

It was weird, being this invested in these people. Stiles wondered if he was the only one who felt such a magnitude of importance when it came to the Mikaelsons. He couldn't imagine not knowing them, which was weird because he didn't know them two days ago, and he also hated how cheesy it sounded. Still, he couldn't imagine leaving Kol to stew in his troubles, or letting Klaus and Elijah deal with Esther alone.

It almost felt natural to be there in support of Kol, much like he'd be if it were one of the Pack that needed help. He'd do his best to make sure this worked out, but something told him he wouldn't need to step in much at all. He just hoped he was right, for both Kol's, Klaus', and Elijah's sake. He was also hoping they would see this as him over-stepping and meddling.

He led Davina and Kol to the dining room, setting up a quick, invisible barrier just in case things really went south, before proceeding to send a quick message to Elijah and Klaus, asking them to come to the dining room. They flashed over almost immediately, both crashing into the barrier one after the other.

"Stiles? What's going on here?" Elijah asked, slightly frantically, obviously concerned for Stiles' safety. Perhaps he assumed Davina or more likely Kol had set up the barrier and Stiles had asked to come help. Stiles would have to correct that pretty quickly unless he wanted to be the reason this whole thing turns into a dumpster fire.

"It's ok, I'm safe. I asked you to come because there's a conversation that needs to be had. The barrier… is a precautionary measure. I'm sorry, but this was the easiest solution." He said, pleading with them not to be upset with him with his eyes. Their opinions of him mattered, so he hoped this would ruin them. By the looks of it, Elijah was mostly just worried for him, while he couldn’t quite place how Klaus felt about the situation.

"Very well, what is it you wish to speak of. Is there a reason the little witch and her little friend are here?" Klaus asked, leaning against the part of the table that was on the other side of the barrier. Ok, so far so good.

"Yes, actually. Kaleb?" Stiles beckoned softly, turning slightly to Kol, who was standing beside Davina, trying to make himself as small as possible. He could see Kol shaking again, despite Stiles having increased the intensity of the calming spell in hopes of helping him out. Hopefully, he felt safe enough to do this. Kol took a deep, shuddering breath before starting to speak.

"Hello.…Nikki." He mumbled, bracing himself for the imminent blowup, hiding himself behind Davina slightly. He would probably be ashamed of himself for acting so out of character, but the stress from the situation had fried all of his ability to care about pride or any other such nonsense. After a minute Klaus realized what Kaleb saying this meant. He should have known.

"Kol…" Klaus' tone was punched out and breathless, his face immediately screwing up in pained surprise, which was mirrored by Elijah, who sat down from surprise. Ok, so they may have reacted more calmly than Kol had expected, but they still had time to get angry. Thank god for the Spark and his barrier.

"Surprise!" Kol said, quite unenthusiastically, despite his attempt at the cheeky, biting humor he was usually so notorious for. Sure, a lot of it was a put upon act, but he still felt very unlike himself, going so long without it. The constant fear of death tended to impede on things like humor.

"How… mother brought you back, didn't she. I thought she did, but you weren't around at that awful dinner gathering of hers. So, you're here to kill us, along with Finn and Mommy dearest then?" Klaus glared slightly at the end, more calculating than anything else.

"Yes, she brought me back so I can help her out," Kol said, wincing at Klaus' tone. He knew this wouldn't have gone well. He shouldn't have done this. He could nearly feel himself start to shake and spiral, but was broken out of it quite quickly.

"I see. Well, it's good to see you aren't going to cooperate with her." Klaus said tightly, making Kol's head snap up to meet his gaze in surprise.

"What? How could you know that?" He asked, looking at his big brother in surprise. He had never known Klaus to be anything but conspiratory and unforgiving. The fact that he even made such a statement nearly made Kol speechless.

"Well, why else would you be here?" Klaus questioned, looking tired and quite hesitant. Perhaps he wanted to believe the best in Kol but didn't want to let his guard down. That's what Stiles thought at least. Kol seemed to realize this too, and with a hopeful glint, he let himself let loose and break down.

"I… I can't help her Nikki. But I don't have a choice. She can send me back to the Other Side whenever she wants. She's been threatening and hurting me to force me to help her since she brought me back. I'm scared. I don't want to hurt you or Elijah…" Kol mumbled, drawing in on himself in the chair he was sitting in.

"She's been hurting you?" Klaus asked, voice tight and angry. "Little spark, lower the barrier please." He said, trying to contain his angry tone. He glanced at Stiles, who scanned him, searching for something before nodding slightly and waving his hand, wincing at Kol's whimper of protest. Klaus wasted no time flashing over to Kol, making him flinch harshly and raise his arms to protect himself. Klaus looked at him with sad eyes, imagining what Kol must think of him to flinch in such a manner. As gently as he could Klaus leaned down and wrapped his arms around Kol in a hug, ignoring the fact that there were witnesses this time around. Klaus couldn't explain what came over him, he'd never truly been close to Kol but hearing that their mother had come so far as to hurt him to make him cooperate ate at Klaus' insides.

"Nikki…" Kol whimpered, relaxing slightly as he felt the stinging of tears on his eyes. He barely contained them, but it was all for naught as Elijah soon joined the hug, rubbing soothing circles across Kol's back. Truthfully this was something Kol had been missing for a very long time, the comfort of family. He'd barely had it before they turned, but everything after had been so turbulent and crazy, and Elijah, Klaus, and Rebekah quickly paired off leaving Kol to deal with the pain of the change by himself. Truthfully it was always why he acted out, not being able to cope with the ache he felt. Always and forever never included him.

"Why didn't you come to us?" Elijah asked, and Stiles couldn't help wincing slightly from where he sat awkwardly next to Davina, watching the scene while feeling like an obscene voyeur. Elijah probably didn't mean it rudely, but it sounded a little victim blamey, and judging by Kol's hollow, slightly disbelieving laugh he thought so too.

"Why would I? I thought the second I came here Nik would kill me for siding with mother, or you for that matter. Had I been Rebekah perhaps I could have gotten away with it, but I'm not am I. I don't get free passes. As it was I didn't even think you'd care. Why would you, I'm the troublesome after all." Kol grumbled out bitterly, drawing back from his brothers slightly as he glared toward the ground.

"That's not true Kol." Elijah started, but it only caused Kol to blow up at them. Stiles groaned and facepalmed at Elijah's lack of tact. You'd think thousand-year-old vampires would be better conversationalists.

"Yes, it is! I've never been anything more than a burden to you! Don't you remember Elijah, Always and Forever!? Except that's never included me has it? You just let me stick around out of obligation. None of you care about me, so why are you suddenly acting like you do? All I wanted, my whole life, was for you a lot to care about me." Kol said, his emotions causing a pulse of magic to shoot out and send both Elijah and Klaus skidding away.

"Stop it! You may think you've been singled out and that you are unloved, but all I've ever done was for all your own goods. I'm sorry you felt excluded, but Always and Forever applied just as much to you as it does for Elijah and Rebekah. You are a Mikaelson Kol, and we love you! I may not have ever treated you fairly, and perhaps the others didn't either, but we're here now. We know now, and we won't let her keep hurting you!" Klaus shouted, flashing over to Kol and gripping his jacket with both fists. Davina would have jumped up to intervene but Stiles held her back, shaking his head slightly. At first, Kol struggled, but the more Klaus spoke the more he stopped and just listened, tears streaming down his face.

"I've always been the one who was the harshest to you, I've always looked down on you for your antics and it wasn't right of me. I should have tried to understand you, to understand why you did the things you did. It was my job as the eldest to take care of you and I failed at that." Elijah said in way of apology, also walking up once Klaus loosened his grip on Kol.

"Well, technically that would be Finn," Kol mumbled slightly, not willing to look either of them in the eyes.

"No, he wouldn't have done anything, he's never really concerned himself much with us at all if it wasn't mother's order. But I was supposed to protect you all, even from yourselves. I'm sorry, I'll be trying to make up for those mistakes for the rest of my life." Elijah said, shaking his head at Kol's statement.

"And I too have several lifetimes worth of apologizing to do, it's been something of a trend for me to make amends lately, and you're no different Kol. I swear, we'll be there for you. Always and Forever." Klaus swore, making Kol gasp as he looked up at Klaus' eyes, searching for any hint of deceit or untruthfulness but he could find none. This was really the final nail on the coffin and he broke down, falling to his knees and sobbing, and Klaus and Elijah quickly followed, once again resuming their hug from earlier.

Stiles smiled slightly to himself, knowing he'd made the right decision. He tugged lightly on Davina's sleeve and motioned to the door, bringing her along as they exited the room. He'd stayed long enough to ensure it would go well and to support Kol, but this was a family moment and Stiles didn't want to intrude more than necessary.

"You don't know how much that means to me," Kol whispered, burying his face in Klaus' shoulder as he sobbed loudly, not caring at all who might hear him.

"I think I do, brother." Klaus just said in reply, doing his best to comforting him along with Elijah. They'd always babied Rebekah but Kol was almost just as young as her, so it really wasn't that far of a stretch that Klaus' protective instinct would extend to Kol as well. Unfortunately, their brother had never shown much need for it or any vulnerability that would suggest that might be the case, but he needed it perhaps more than Rebekah ever had. After a few minutes of comforting and letting Kol relax they separated slightly and Elijah spoke up.

"You said that she could send you back to the Other Side at any moment, is there a way we could prevent that?" Elijah asked, but Kol just shook his head.

"I know the magic she used. She had control over this body now since she was the one that transferred my soul. She also has the binding crystal, and unfortunately unless I die that tether won't break either. The moment she learns that I've betrayed her she'll just kill me." Kol explained, shaking a little as a burst of fright tore through him. He had just reunited with his family, and they finally cared for him and it could all be taken away.

"That's not true, there has to be a way," Klaus said, already texting Stiles and Davina to come back. Kol just shook his head and tightened the hug with Elijah as Klaus did so, unwilling to hope for a solution. When Stiles and Davina came back in Klaus rushed to explain what Kol had told them.

"Please, there has to be some way. I can't lose him again, not after we just fixed things." He plead with Stiles, who shot a look at Davina. During their brief time away he had spoken to her about the Mikaelsons and their relationship with her. She was still hesitant and resentful, but after seeing their reunion with Kol she didn't think she believed that Klaus was all evil anymore. And though Elijah had helped her for his own good it wasn't like she wasn't aware of it, and he had done a lot to assist her in her time of need. And besides, the Mikaelson matriarch was the villain of this story, and Davina sure as hell hated her more than she hated Klaus.

"Of course there's a way, but I'm not sure if you'd be willing. Kol has to die to break the tether, or else she'll have control of him always. I can just bring him back in another body. It will take a lot out of me, but it's doable. The body should preferably be his own though, or else you run the risk of Esther just destabilizing his connection to it and sending him back to the Other Side since his soul wouldn't technically belong to that body. This will mean he loses his magic and becomes an Original again though." Stiles explained, his expression sad and heartbreaking a little at Kol's disappointment over the fact that he would lose his magic.

"I have his old body here, I can bring it by an hour from where it is," Klaus said, smiling at Kol slightly when he turned to Klaus with a shocked expression. "Don't look at me like that brother, it was always the plan to bring you back." He said, smirking a little as Kol just shook his head in disbelief. Steeling himself, Kol made up his mind.

"I'm ok with it. Magic means nothing if I'm dead anyway. I can't fathom being without it now that it's back, but being without my family is even more unimaginable." He said, looking toward Stiles with resolve, to which the Spark just nodded.

"Elijah, stay with him. Klaus, could you please bring his body? And Davina, could you come with me to get all the things I need for the ritual? Thankfully they aren't too uncommon and I have most of the hard to find stuff with me. We will need to buy some candles though if we have none on hand." He said, looking toward Elijah by the end to which the Original hummed in consideration.

"We should have more than enough candles here, so it appears that you won't need to get anything extra after all," Elijah said, making Stiles sigh in relief. This meant it could all be done faster, which was good. Klaus nodded along as well, flashing away to get Kol's body from where Klaus kept their coffins. He should really get rid of those now.

"Thank you, for all of this," Kol whispered, smiling tiredly at Stiles in gratitude, who just nodded at him with a smile.

"Think nothing of it. I can tell you aren't a bad person and I'm glad I can help you." He said, before turning away and walking off with Davina, leaving Kol and Elijah in the dining room, missing the irreverent expression Elijah wore as he looked at the Spark. Kol chuckled slightly at his brother's face.

"You've got it bad for him, haven't you brother? And I saw the look Nikki shot him too, so I know he's smitten as well." He teased, smiling when it elicited a light chuckle from the prim and proper vampire.

"Well, I won't deny it since there's no use in lying, but we've both decided to keep our distance for now. Let him get to know us better, and let Stiles decide for himself what he wants. It's not easy loving an Original, after all." Elijah said making Kol sigh as he thought of Davina.

"Yes, I know." Hopefully, they would figure it out. And hopefully, Davina won't reject him when he becomes a vampire.

** -One hour later- **

Stiles finished setting up the last of the candles as he lined them along the chalk lines he had drawn earlier. Kol's body lay on one side of the chalk design, tethered to Kaleb's with a small red thread that was tied to each of their wrists. Between their head was a bowl which held different kinds of flowers. Daffodils for rebirth, proteas for transformation and transition, chrysanthemum for death, and a white rose essence to bind the new begging. In the mixture, there was chalk dust as well, which would act as a conduit for Stiles' power. He sighed and sat down on his knees in front of the bowl, preparing himself mentally for it.

"It'll be ok." He said, both to himself and Kol, who smiled and him before closing his eyes and preparing himself for the ritual. Meanwhile, Klaus, Davina, and Elijah watched on in anticipation and Stiles finished preparing. With one final deep breath, Stiles began chanting, letting his Spark flow freely through the chalk which connected everything him the bowl and the two bodies.

The contents of the bowl lit aflame, the fire shining a pure white as it danced around, scorching the ingredients and making everything melt together onto ash. As the flames burned Kol gasped slightly as he felt Stiles' spark flicker through him, almost as if to get a feel for his soul. He settled down though as it washed over him and filled him with warmth.

Suddenly Kol found himself face to face with the real Kaleb, standing in what Kol presumed to be Kaleb's mindscape. The boy looked surprised to see him, though he wasn't angry as Kol presumed he would be. Kol made to apologize but found he couldn't speak. Kaleb just shook his head and smiled at Kol, standing up and hugging him before Kol felt himself fade from where he stood and dissipated from Kaleb's hands.

Outside of Kaleb's mind, Stiles struggled a bit to keep steady as the most intricate part of the ritual was starting. Using his spark he had carefully untethered Kol's soul from Kaleb's, letting it flow out of Kaleb's body and into the ash mixture. Before proceeding though, he paused. Maybe… yes, that could work.

He extended his hands between Kaleb and Kol's bodies, letting his spark embrace them as he searched for what he needed. After finding it he did his best to let his magic replicate what it had found and transferred it over to its intended destination. It was more difficult than anticipated, and Stiles knew that he would be spent for days, but it was a small price to pay for what it meant for his new friend.

Facing the mixture once more Stiles used his Spark to direct the ash toward Kol, watching as it transformed into a thin mist, which flowed from the bowl to Kol's body, entering through his ear. Stiles then took a small pair of scissors which he had next to him, cutting the thread between Kol and Kaleb.

"From whence it came, there shall it remain. May their being be cleared from any impurities as the light of life brings them to new beginnings. I ask the gods for their blessing for this ritual, and plead they judge with mercy this mortal soul." Stiles said, finally letting his Spark return to him, feeling just how drained he truly was as he fell to the floor.

"You may have our blessing young one. Your power is most intriguing. I allow this once, and only once. However, do not presume as to overstep death again." A voice unlike anything he had ever heard rang through him, like a lightning bolt through Stiles' soul. A god, a god had actually talked to him and blessed the ritual. So it worked, it actually worked. Stiles had invoked a god.

He sagged in relief, flashing the three onlookers a smile to signify that it had worked. Almost immediately the three came over, fussing over both him and Kol. Kaleb was the first to awake, smiling as he looked over to the group.

"Thank you for freeing us." He said, looking at Stiles with such reverence it made him blush and look away, shrugging slightly.

"It was nothing." He mumbled, not wanting to take credit for it. Besides, he did it for Kol and his brothers, Kaleb getting his body back, while a good thing, was mostly just collateral and Stiles didn't feel like he could accept any thanks for it when it really wasn't the end goal, to begin with.

"No, had you not done this I would have likely died when Esther ripped his soul away, as I doubt she would have any concern for the strain it would place on my body. I will speak with my family. The Westphalls are highly influential outside of the French Quarter, and could at least cut any power and support she would receive outside of it." He said, refusing to let Stiles shrug off his gratitude. And it was probably for the best too, since it meant the witches outside of the French Quarter would work with them and not against them. Suddenly though all thoughts of that flew away as Kol gasped for breath, eyes flying open as he returned to consciousness in his old body.

"You… you gave me magic." He whispered, unable to believe what Stiles had done for him while the boy just shrugged once again, ignoring the incredulous looks he received from the others in the room. However, what he could not ignore was Kol flinging himself at him as the now Vampire/Witch hybrid sobbed in between his profuse thank yous to Stiles, who groaned slightly as the Vampire's weight was suddenly on him. He was just glad it had all worked out. Doing this would undoubtedly leave him bedridden for a couple of days but he knew he'd do it again in a heartbeat when he saw Kol's smile when he pulled away. Permission from the gods be damned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1: Yes I did the Isaac comparrison as a nod to them having the same actor.
> 
> Also yes, I have a really big soft spot for Kol and am writing him a bit out of charecter but it's my story and not yours tihi.


	4. Chapter 4

Kol smiled slightly at the very light snoring that came from Stiles as Kol came into his room, a tray of snacks with him that he brought for the teen. After the ritual Stiles had quickly passed out, exhausted from helping Kol remain a witch, which Kol was extremely grateful for. Still, the poor boy was really magically exhausted, more so than he had been after killing Mikael. It led to him being bed-ridden for the past three days, which Stiles was none-too-pleased with. Still, the boy said that he had recovered enough that he should be back to normal by the next day, which they were all quite glad for. Kol was the one who for the most part brought him food, though the others also visited quite often just to give him some company. It was nice how quickly the boy had fit into their group.  
  
Kol was certainly happy about it at least, he owed a lot to the Spark, despite his initial resentment and dislike at the very begging, which was only because Stiles had caught him. Still, it yielded positive results, better than Kol could have ever hoped for actually. It was something to be said that Kol, who for the most part tended to dislike a lot of people grew so fond of Stiles too. The boy had this natural air around him that made people want to get to know him, Kol reckoned. It would certainly explain why his brothers were so obsessed with the boy. And yes, obsessed was a really big stretch, which is of course why Kol used it if only to elicit some annoyance from Elijah and Klaus. Yes, they'd made up and were on track to being a happy family but Kol was petty and did genuinely enjoy teasing them. Though he never quite had it in him to bother Stiles about it or anything for that matter.  
  
Having magic again, despite being a vampire, was beyond anything Kol could have ever dreamed of. It wasn't necessarily that he hated being a vampire, in fact, he quite enjoyed it. It appealed to his nature in a way, but it could never come close to the feeling he got when performing magic. After being turned he felt hollow for a long time, the void where his magic used to be cold and unyielding. He filled it with rage and resentment, which he took out on many innocent people. In retrospect, he supposed he was something of a monster, but he refused to let himself be drowned in guilt and self-hatred. He would just have to make amends for his atrocities one day at a time. And now that he was both witch and vampire he felt more whole than he had ever felt in his life. It seemed that for once life wasn't out to get him. He was happy with his family, had a friend he genuinely cared about, and was on his way to falling in love. How Davina put up with him and all his crazy he'd never know, but he just appreciated her all the more for it.  
  
Speaking of the girl, she had become much more of a staple around the compound than usual. What with her visiting him and Stiles all the time, and her slowly but surely warming up to Klaus. It was nice to see her start seeing the good in his brother. Despite what many thought Klaus was never a monster. In fact, Kol would say he was the most human of all the Mikaelsons. He had always been real and raw. Quick to anger yes, but also steadfast in his beliefs and somebody who fought for what he thought was right. It used to intimidate Kol, but he had come to admire that in his brother, despite never having told him so. And maybe Davina would see it too, one day. For now, Kol is just happy over the fact that she doesn't want to kill Klaus anymore. It was certainly a start.  
  
It was strange, being this close with his brothers. Sometimes Kol wondered if they could have all been like this from the start, how differently they would have all turned out if that had been the case. There wasn't much use dwelling on it though, and at least things had changed for the better. Perhaps this wouldn't last, but Kol would always have these memories of the family he'd dreamed of. It was unfortunate that their mother and Finn couldn't be a part of it, and that Rebekah had to remain far away for the time being to protect Hope, but that's the way the cookie crumbled. Finn and Esther dug their own graves, and Kol couldn't find it in himself to care about what happens to them anymore. Any love he had left for the two was gone the second Esther hurt him. Maybe she was doing this for a good reason, but Kol didn't give a fuck.  
  
As for Rebekah and Hope, Kol certainly wanted them to be here as well but understood why that wasn't possible. It would be awful if something happened to Hope, and Rebekah was the best person to take care of her at the moment. He missed his sister a lot and Kol really wanted to meet his niece eventually too, wondering how she would grow up to be like. If she was anything like her parents she would be trouble. Speaking of Hayley she was a bit of a handful, but she wasn't all that bad once she knew for certain Kol wasn't a danger to any of them. They had grown to be good acquaintances, if not friends. A mutual love of messing with Klaus will do that to you.  
  
He gently shook Stiles awake, snickering a little as the boy groaned and swatted at his hand. He sat up slightly, blinking awake and glaring sleepily at Kol. "Ugh, What time is it?" Stiles asked as he sat up, blinking slowly in an attempt to start up his brain. He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, smiling a little as he saw Kol push the tray towards his a bit.  
  
"It's lunchtime, so you're fine mate," Kol said, snickering again when Stiles let out another groan. The boy hated being bedridden and seemed to hate wasting his days sleeping and recovering. He likely would have tried to be up and about already but Elijah and Klaus made him stay and relax, but from what Stiles had said the boy was going stir-crazy.  
  
"I can't wait until tomorrow. Hopefully, Doctor Elijah and Doctor Klaus will give me a clean bill of health." Stiles snarked, plucking a breadstick from the tray and munching on it. Kol laughed loudly at his comments, nearly tearing up. Oh, he really loved Stiles.  
  
"I bet you'd love Klaus and Elijah as doctors, 'Little Spark'" Kol said, imitating Klaus and using his nickname for Stiles, which made the boy blush a bright red and shove Kol who didn't move an inch.  
  
"It's so not fair that I can't kick your ass for being a dick." Stiles sulked, taking another bite of his breadstick.  
  
"You could, but you like me too much," Kol commented, stealing a breadstick from the tray and also taking a bit of it, smirking when he heard Stiles' indignant squawk. It was so much fun to tease him, and Kol was happy to finally have such a friendly dynamic with somebody.  
  
"I don't know why I do," Stiles growled out, but quickly smiled after it, giving Kol a quick side-hug. This was also new to Kol, physical contact. It took a while to get used to, but Kol found he didn't mind. Stiles had quickly explained that being from a wolf pack physical contact was nearly a prerequisite. It had become something they did amongst themselves now too, picking up the habit from Stiles, and they found it appealed to Klaus' and Hayley's wolf natures. Hugs, surprisingly, were fucking amazing.  
  
**-The Next Day-**  
  
There was nothing that could stop Stiles from jumping up from bed the second he woke up, running to the bathroom to get ready and then nearly running out of his room, swirling around like a fucking Disney princess and mimicking hugging the air, shouting freedom out into the courtyard, pausing when he heard a chuckle from his left. Turning around he found Klaus looking at him with an amused expression.  
  
"Well then, I don't recall permitting you to go outside of your room." He commented cheekily, which made Stiles groan and roll his eyes. Honestly, he didn't know why he put up with the man. Then again Stiles was just as bad, especially because of what he said next.  
  
"You can't make me Daddy!" He joked, sticking out his tongue before freezing, eyes wide. He saw Klaus shocked face and felt his soul leave his body. Shit, of course, his brain would stab him in the back like this. It was a pretty normal reply from Stiles and had he been with the Pack he would have just reveled in the laughs and groans his comment would have elicited so he had said in on reflex, but this was a worst-case scenario and Stiles was downright mortified. He felt so stupid for saying that he could feel himself start to shake as he ran right back into his room, missing Klaus' noise of protest.  
  
He sank down, sliding down the door after he locked it with a force field like he had the first day he met them. Figures he'd humiliate himself like this. He'd probably get kicked out over this, and even if he didn't he likely wouldn't be able to look Klaus in the eyes again, if the man would even speak to him. God, he was so stupid.  
  
"Stiles! Stiles open the door!" Stiles faintly heard, the noise muffled and muted over the ringing in his ears as he struggled to breathe. In a panic from the oncoming panic attack, Stiles retracted his Spark, letting Klaus open the door and appear in front of him, grabbing Stiles' head so that the boy looked at him as he talked him back from the panic attack. Slowly Stiles could feel himself relax as he started to breathe semi-regularly as he focused on what Klaus was saying.  
  
"There we go, you're ok. You're safe. I'm not mad." Klaus kept repeating, clearly unsure of how to handle Stiles' attack but after a while, Stiles calmed down and sagged against the door frame as Klaus sighed in relief.  
  
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just so used to joking around with my pack and it just came out and…" Stiles quieted down as Klaus shushed him and flashed a kind smile that made Stiles words die on their way out.  
  
"It's fine little Spark, I truly don't mind," Klaus said, squeezing Stiles shoulder in comfort but found himself surprised when he saw tears running down Stiles' face. "What's wrong?" He asked, not really knowing what to do.  
  
"I… why are you so kind…" He heard Stiles mumble with a slight hiccup in his voice but it only made Klaus more confused. He certainly wasn't kind. He thought most people would laugh out loud at Klaus being called kind, they would certainly not agree at least.   
  
"What do you mean, darling?" He asked but it only served to make Stiles more frustrated apparently, because the boy shook his head, letting out a small grunt of frustration which the boy clearly tried to force down based on the chocked way it came out.  
  
"That's what I mean! You keep calling me darling and treating me like some damsel and I hate that I keep reacting to it! I feel like such a dick." Stiles ground out, hugging his knees and burying his face in them.  
  
"Why would you feel that way? You haven't done anything wrong darling." Klaus assured, still not quite sure what this whole situation was about. It was a weird situation, to begin with, and Klaus was certainly not comfortable comforting people, or at least not used to it.  
  
"Because I like you, but I like Elijah too and I feel so weird about it because I can't make up my mind and neither of you would want somebody like me anyway…" Stiles trailed off and Klaus could feel himself freeze at what the boy said. He quickly sent Elijah a text to come up to Stiles' room and then set his phone aside before making Stiles look at him again.  
  
"Somebody like what darling?" He asked, searching Stiles sad, teary face for the answer.  
  
"Oh please, like either of you would ever bat an eye my way. I'm not delusional Klaus, I'm aware I'm not the best looking or the funniest or the nicest and I doubt you guys see me as anything more than a friend and ally." He said, his tone slightly bitter, though mostly sad and wistful.  
  
"Whoever told you that is out of their mind, Stiles," Elijah said from where he stood, making Stiles gasp as he turned to the man, quickly figuring out he had heard what Stiles had said and turning to look at Klaus, a betrayed look painted across his face.  
  
"Stiles, we both feel a connection to you. You couldn't be more wrong with what you just said. You are amazing, and you've had us smitten since the day you've arrived. It's been a short time, but I think you'll find that I don't like refraining from getting what I want. I stayed away out of respect for my brother and because I didn't know how you felt, but now there's no reason to hold back anymore." Klaus said and Elijah nodded along, making Stiles gape at them.  
  
"But I… you… What?" He asked, not quite able to wrap his head around the fact that the two hot Vampire brothers both wanted his pasty self. This was like some weird Twilight fever dream, but Stiles was certain he was awake.   
  
"It's true. We would both love the chance to court you. We know that this is unusual, but we've fought over partners before, and it's never been pretty. We'd hate for you to end up caught in the middle like the others, so for your sake, we decided to both stay away, but since you like us both, we could make this work. We'd take it slow so we could all get used to it, since I don't think any of us will know what to really do, but I think chances like this don't come often. So, would you let us court you?" Elijah asked, offering his hand to Stiles by the end of his little speech, which the boy looked at hesitantly before reluctantly taking it and letting Elijah pull him up to his feet, blushing when the man brought Stiles' hand to his lips and kissed the back of it, which honestly made Stiles feel like a princess. Of course, that moment didn't last as Josh burst into the scene, pausing when he saw the scene in front of him but quickly shaking his head.  
  
"I'm sorry for interrupting, but there's some man here demanding to see you, Klaus." He said, clearly scared of them being angry with him for interrupting but honestly, Stiles was relieved for the pause this put on the conversation. They'd certainly have to figure it out and soon, but it helped lessen the overwhelmed feeling he got from all of it. It also seemed that both Klaus and Elijah were surprised by the interruption as they exchanged worried glances.  
  
"Joshua, stay close to Stiles just in case. Let's go see who this mystery guest is." Elijah said as the group headed down to the ground level, where Hayley was facing off against the unknown man. On the way Stiles rubbed away any traces of tears, hiding a bit behind Josh so nobody saw his disheveled state. Gods he hoped there would be no fighting, he really wasn't in the mood.  
  
"And who might you be?" Klaus' voice rang loudly through the courtyard, making Hayley and the man turn towards him, though Hayley was clearly on guard and kept her body angled towards the man so she could react quickly if he were to make any sudden moves.  
  
"It's you…" The man said in wonder, looking at Klaus like he couldn't believe that he was standing in front of him. Stiles had studied the man since he saw him and he didn't appear to be here for a fight and seemed to mostly be on guard, but that had quickly faded and was replaced by the aforementioned wonder when he laid eyes on Klaus.  
  
"Are you like a fan or something?" Josh asked and Stiles had to bite down on the inside of his cheek to keep himself from laughing, especially when Klaus shot Josh a dark look which quickly made the other guy clamp up. The man though didn't bother to restrain his amused look at Josh's comment but shook his head before focusing on Klaus again.  
  
"His father actually." He said and Stiles swore if he focused enough he'd be able to hear a pin drop on the other side of the compound by how quiet it had gotten all of a sudden. Klaus looked shell shocked, and Elijah wasn't fairing much better, while Josh, Hayley, and himself were just stunned. Well, that certainly wasn't expected.  
  
"You expect me to believe that? Did our mother put you up to this?" Klaus growled out, face transforming into his Hybrid look, which made Stiles rush up and grip Klaus before he could do anything reckless. Klaus snarled at Stiles when the teen wrapped his hand around his sleeve but froze at Stiles wince. He hadn't meant to frighten him. He was about to apologize when Stiles just shook his head, apparently seeing Klaus' face go from angry to concerned.  
  
"No, I was just startled. I can check to see if he's lying, at least then you can know for sure before you maul him." Stiles said, waiting for Klaus' nod of affirmation before turning to the man only to find him studying Stiles curiously. He could tell the man was a werewolf, the same type as Klaus, so it was start. Stiles breathed in and closed his eyes, direct his spark to resonate through the man, scanning him for emotions and intent.  
  
"Speak," Stiles demanded, voice colder and harsher than usual as his Spark probed the man. So far he couldn't detect any malicious intent, mostly just hope for something, but he needed the man to say what he had said again to confirm that he had spoken the truth.  
  
"I'm your father Klaus. Yes, Esther brought me back to help her out with her plan but I managed to give her the slip. I'm not working with her." The man said, and Stiles didn't detect anything lies. He gave a nod to Klaus, signifying that the man was honest, but still kept his Spark on him in case there was anything else he felt like lying about.  
  
"Why are you here then?" Klaus asked, his voice hauntingly void of all emotions. It worried Stiles, but the best thing he could do for Klaus right now was to keep the feeler on the man, despite his brain nagging him to comfort the Original Hybrid.  
  
"I want to get to know you. That's all I've ever wanted. Back then I stayed away because Esther didn't want me to meet you, claimed she didn't want Mikael to find out about her infidelity, but then one day Mikael came and killed me, so I suppose he found out anyway. Ever since then I've been looking out for you from the Other Side as best as I could, until a couple of days back Esther resurrected me." He said and again Stiles felt not a single trace of deception. He nodded once again, pausing when he saw Klaus' hand trembling slightly.  
  
"That's it then, she resurrected you and you decided to come waltzing into my life expecting everything would be alright?" Klaus asked, barely restraining himself from killing the man then and there. "And what did you think would happen, that we would hug it out in some tearful reunion? I don't even know your name, father." He spat the word out like venom, glaring hatefully at the man in front of him, who just sighed, and Stiles felt the hope the man had withering slightly and give way to a feeling of sorrow that tore through him.  
  
"Ansel." He said, elaborating when Klaus's brow rose. "My name is Ansel. I don't know what I was expecting, but I would like to be there for you now at least. I could never make up for the lost time, and I won't insult you by trying to apologize and plead for it." Ansel said, looking at Klaus in the eyes. Again Stiles felt no lies, which was good at least, though judging by the look on Klaus' face he wasn't that willing to accept it.  
  
"Well, you can go then," Klaus growled out and Stiles felt the resignation and sorrow in Ansel grow even more. It was clear the man wanted to fight to prove to his son that he could be there for him but wasn't willing to fight Klaus on his decision out of respect and shame.  
  
"Wait!" Stiles said before Ansel could make to walk away. Burying all sense Stiles turned to Klaus, gripping him again as Klaus ire turned to him, obviously upset Stiles had prevented Ansel from leaving. "I know you don't want this. I know you don't know how to handle it, but you will regret it for the rest of your life if you let him leave now. My father is the most important thing in this world to me. I'm not saying that to rub it in your face, but he's telling the truth and I want you to have this chance at having the father you deserve as well. I'm not saying it will be easy, because I won't be… but you're making an effort to change Klaus. And I think this could be good for you. I know it isn't easy, but please let yourself be loved." Stiles pleaded with him, hand to Klaus' chest as he talked to him. Klaus' gaze never left his as he took in Stiles' words and his face slowly reverted back to normal as Klaus sagged slightly.  
  
"Fine, but this doesn't mean I'll let him in immediately." Klaus relented, having taken Stiles' words to heart which made Stiles smile brightly and hug the man, who relaxed further in his grip.  
  
"I'm not asking that of you, and I don't think he'll expect it of you either," Stiles said before pulling away, turning back to face Ansel who had a look of gratitude on his face.  
  
"Thank you." He said, voice quivering slightly, but Stiles shook his head. Again, he couldn't really accept his thanks, not when Stiles hadn't done it for Ansel. It wasn't as though he didn't think the man deserved a chance, but Stiles' priority was Klaus, and he wouldn't let the man think otherwise.  
  
"I did it for Klaus' sake. But trust me," He started, face turning dark. "If you hurt him I will send you back to wherever the hell you came from. I know you meant everything you said, but that doesn't mean you get a free pass. If you want this you'll have to make an effort. You would have walked away just then, I trust that won't happen again." Stiles said in a tone that promised bad things if Ansel ended up hurting or leaving Klaus.  
  
"Hayley, bring him to one of the guest rooms, I think Niklaus needs a bit of time," Elijah said and she nodded, looking towards Ansel who was looking at Stiles like he hadn't expected the boy to say all of that, but also with respect for him for having stood up for Klaus. He went along with Hayley without protest, unwilling to go against them now that he had actually gotten a chance at being in his son's life. His own wife and other son were long dead, but he'd had time with them and they understood why he had to do this, and he wasn't willing to screw it up, certainly not for Esther.  
  
**-Living Room-**  
  
Stiles handed a glass of whiskey to Klaus who gladly accepted it, nursing it in his hands while Stiles sat down in the armchair across from Klaus', Elijah also sitting close by. Josh had been dismissed for the time being.   
  
"How are you feeling?" Stiles asked, looking at Klaus in concern as the man nursed his drink in his hand, staring somewhat vacantly into space. Stiles was a little worried that him pushing Klaus into letting Ansel in might have made Klaus upset with him, or would end up making the man resent him, especially if it went poorly.  
  
"I don't know. I'm not quite sure how to react darling. Typically I lash out in the face of emotional and upsetting events, but as you said I'm making an effort to change." Klaus said, staring out into space, likely still processing the entire conversation. Stiles got it, it must have been shell-shocking for the father Klaus never met to come back to life and meet Klaus after over a thousand years. Especially from what Stiles heard of Mikael's treatment of Klaus and how the man lacked a positive father figure in his life.  
  
Stiles couldn't imagine a world without his father. Even after the death of Stiles' mother when his dad was at his lowest Stiles couldn't have lived without him. Stiles still remembered the bottles and late nights, listening to his dad sob all the way from his rooms. He remembered the crash of glass against walls, and the sharp ring of the one that barely missed him. He remembers pulling his father back from the edge as the man was on the path of self-destruction yet despite it all there was never a doubt in Stiles' mind that his dad loved him. He didn't think he could live without that.   
  
He stood and walked over to Klaus, leaning down to hug the man, who moved his glass away to avoid spilling the alcohol as Stiles drew him in. He was tense for a second before relaxing into the hug, pulling Stiles closer until the boy couldn't keep upright and had to sit down on Klaus' legs to avoid falling over.  
  
"Thank you for helping me through that, little Spark." He said softly, smiling up at Stiles who blushed from the fact that he was now in the man's lap, also slightly awkward that Elijah was in the room, still not used to the idea that they both liked him. Klaus must have sensed Stiles tense up slightly because he pulled him a bit closer.  
  
"Hey now, it's fine darling. We didn't get to finish up the conversation from earlier though," Klaus said, turning Stiles' head to him with a finger under the boy's chin, grinning at him a little wickedly. "So, would you answer Elijah's question darling? Would you allow us to court you?" Klaus asked, bringing Stiles' face even closer, smirking as the boy's blush deepened.

Stiles could barely breathe from how intense Klaus' eyes were, and he could also feel Elijah's eyes on him from where the other man sat. He was sure that if Klaus had to breathe he would feel the man's breath on him from how close they were. He wasn’t used to being this close to anybody, much less somebody as gorgeous as Klaus.  
  
His thoughts ran a mile a minute as Stiles still struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that even one of them wanted him, let alone both. It wasn't like he had a lot of experience or any for that matter and he certainly didn't think they were in his league but there was also a part of him that struggled to care and pushed him to just stop thinking and go for it, and to be fair that was what Stiles usually did so it seemed like a good plan.

"I.…yes please." He mumbled, not trusting himself to say anything more. He watched as Klaus' smirk grew, but also noticed the happiness dance across the man's eyes. Before Stiles could really register what was happening Klaus leaned in, capturing Stiles' lips in a soft kiss. Stiles whimpered as his eyes fluttered shut and Klaus deepened the kiss.

"Sharing is caring, as Hayley would say." Elijah's voice rumbled from behind Stiles, causing him to jump slightly and turn to Elijah, who also drew him in for a kiss. Stiles couldn't decide which one he liked more. Klaus' lips were softer yet more dominating while Elijah's were rougher but the man was gentler. It all made him feel lightheaded and like he was floating on air. As they broke the kiss Stiles fell back into Klaus' lap as the man pulled him back.   
  
"How are you feeling, little Spark?" Klaus asked, fully aware of how out of it Stiles was and clearly smug about it.  
  
"Shut up," Stiles said, hiding his face behind his hands hoping they wouldn't see how tomato red he'd gotten. It wasn't like he'd never kissed anybody. He and Scott certainly experimented enough but this was different. He really liked them both and this was all quite overwhelming.  
  
"Hey now, what have I said about getting embarrassed around us," Klaus said, pulling Stiles' hands away from his face gently before Elijah's hand came up to cup the side of Stiles' face, the man's thumb stroking his cheek gently which only made Stiles get even redder.  
  
"You're stunning Stiles, please don't hide from us," Elijah said, and damn him for being so charming. Stiles could barely keep himself together as is, but them treating him like this was a lot to handle at once.  
  
"But I'm not though. Not like you guys." He said, trying to wiggle out of Klaus's lap but the man just held him a little tighter. Damn Supernatural strength, always so inconvenient for Stiles.  
  
"You shouldn't compare yourself to other Stiles, but since you insist, let me put it this way. You are gorgeous Stiles, one would have to be a fool not to see that. And if we have to keep this up until you recognize it too then we will." Elijah said, Klaus, nodding in agreement and kissing the back of Stiles' shoulder before slotting his head on it, his voice rumbling in Stiles' ear.  
  
"He's right darling. You may not see how special you are now, but we'll fix that for you." He all but growled out into Stiles' ear, sending shivers down his spine. Honestly, it was unfair that they were ganging up on him like this. He didn't stand a chance. He did yelp slightly when Klaus picked him up and brought him over to the couch though, sitting him in the middle as the two brothers sat on either side of him. Klaus then turned on the TV to some show Stiles couldn't really focus on as the two sat closer, Klaus arm around his shoulder and Elijah's around his middle.  
  
The two took turns whispering compliments in Stiles' ears as the boy struggled to keep his blush down and breathing steady, trying to sink into the couch but only making them hug him tighter in the process.  
  
"Ok, ok I give, you win!" He said finally as it got too much. They both smirked and backed away slightly, both looking at him expectantly. Stiles groaned, realizing they were waiting for him to say more.  
  
"I'm beautiful." He mumbled, barely audible but it seemed to be enough for the moment as Klaus smirked at him, smug that they'd made Stiles give in and agree with them. Honestly, he expected Klaus to be a dick and use his attractiveness to his advantage but Elijah had seemed so well adjusted. They'd be the death of him.  
  
"Good, that wasn't so hard now was it darling?" Klaus asked teasingly, ruffling Stiles' hair slightly making him yelp and move away from Klaus' hand, knocking it away as he jumped back slightly only to land on Elijah, who just smiled at their antics and laid a kiss on Stiles' forehead, which made the boy blush again but also smile slightly. He could get used to this.  
  
"So, what does courting mean exactly?" He asked, suddenly realizing he didn't know quite what he'd agreed to, or what this made them.  
  
"It's no different from dating really. If you wish you may call us your boyfriends." Elijah said, stroking Stiles' hair making the boy relax into him. Boyfriends, huh? Stiles didn't think he'd ever have one, let alone two at once. It was a nice thought though, and he'd take them liking him for as long as it lasted.

"Of course, lovers always sound more fun. Or, what was it you called me again, Daddy?" Klaus said, grinning madly as Stiles groaned and hid into Elijah's shirt. Of course, he'd bring it up, Stiles was a fool to think the man wouldn't use it to tease him, especially since Klaus really did seem like the type to use things like that to his advantage.  
  
"I told you that just slipped out because I'd joke like that with my friends. Keep being a dick and I won't be calling you anything." Stiles grumbled, slipping closer to Elijah, who just let out an amused huff. Honestly, Stiles would be surprised if they didn't end up driving him crazy at some point.  
  
"Now now, don't be like that darling," Klaus said, but it was clear he wasn't sorry or remorseful in the slightest. Stiles peaked out from Elijah's shirt and poked his tongue out at Klaus before going back to cuddling into Elijah. He was surprised at himself how easily being affectionate with them came to him, but then he had been pining for them for the past week. Besides, Elijah was comfy. Suddenly though he was ripped away from that comfiness as Klaus plucked him up and turned him around so that his head was in Klaus' lap and his legs were across Elijah's instead.  
  
"Brat." Klaus rumbled, but it was clear he was only kidding. Stiles laughed before settling in to cuddle up to Klaus. And damn, he was just as comfy as Elijah and Stiles knew that he'd get addicted to cuddles. Damn, he knew now why the couples of his packmates were always on each other and cuddling all the time. Well, cuddles, in general, were great but this was better.  
  
Stiles felt himself get sleepy then, yawning slightly, apparently not fully recovered yet, and having used some magic made him tired again. Klaus for his part just stilled him when he tried to get up and started carting his fingers through Stiles' hair as the boy settled back down and got comfortable. Ok, so he was taking a nap here then. That worked too.


	5. Chapter 5

"I could get used to this," Stiles said, head resting on Klaus' chest as he carded his fingers through Stiles' hair. It was nice, and Stiles felt safe in the man's arms like he did in Elijah's. It was only a couple of days since they'd gotten together, and they had time to get to know each other and just relax for a while as Esther was laying low. Most days were just spent bonding, with only the occasional hiccup whenever Ansel would say something that would trigger Klaus, though most of the time Klaus just left the room whenever that happened, with Stiles following closely after.  
  
It was a kind of routine they'd gotten into though, cuddling like this after dinner. Usually, Elijah would be with them too but he was a little busy helping Hayley and Jackson out with their wedding, which was brought up in the midst of things and was only a week away. Hayley said they needed to marry in order to solidify the pack and establish some sense of normalcy for it, but Stiles could also see that Hayley cared about Jackson so he was happy for her. She invited him of course, though he was already Elijah's and Klaus' plus one.  
  
It was actually something to look forward to, seeing as things had been quite hectic. Though Stiles didn't want to fool himself into thinking things were going to stay quiet. Esther was probably brewing up some plan and with Stiles' luck, there were probably more foes on the horizon. Thankfully everything in Beacon Hills had been normal. That was thanks to Stiles' interference, yes but nobody needed to know that.  
  
Truthfully it was part of the reason he got away from Beacon Hills in the first place. Yes he needed a break and the pack was getting too clingy, but that wasn't really the whole story. After everything with the Nogitsune Stiles figured out that the Nemeton was drawing the supernatural to Beacon Hills. With some help from Deaton, or really after dragging it out of the man, he figured out that the Nemeton was a ley line conduit, and that the tree was corrupted after all the evil that happened around it. It was why bad things kept happening to the town, the tree was poisoning it, and driving all matter of supernatural to attack the town.  
  
It took a while to figure out what he had to do, but thankfully he finally found a ritual after weeks of research. He managed to restore the Nemeton, which was now back to being a whole tree, and also enforced the wards around it to make it impossible to find. It took a lot out of him, but he could feel the positive energy reverberating through the town after he healed the Nemeton. But, he also felt really different since then, and he wasn't quite sure why. It was likely that he'd made a connection to the ley lines, but he couldn't really know that without testing it out and that kind of magic tended to be dangerous. He'd figured coming to New Orleans would give him more of an insight into magic but thus far he'd been unable to focus on that part of his trip. Thankfully Kol and Davina had been a big help in explaining different things about witches and magic to him. While Stiles was powerful he also lacked some knowledge when it came to other kinds of magic.

There were quite a bit of distractions though, well, two in particular. But hey, Stiles was a sucker for romance, and Klaus and Elijah certainly knew how to romance the pants off of somebody. Well, not literally, not yet at least. Honestly, Stiles was nervous to take that step but hoped he'd be comfortable enough with it soon enough. It wasn't like he didn't want to, he was just scared and also didn't know how it'd work with the three of them.  
  
"I hope you do get used to it darling because I don't plan on letting you go now that you're ours." Klaus rumbled in that possessive tone Stiles had come to quite enjoy from the other man. It was nice to have somebody be possessive of him, and maybe Stiles was weird but he found it quite sweet. Klaus never fought with Elijah over him though, which Stiles was grateful for.  
  
Truth be told Stiles was quite apprehensive at first with the whole thing. It wasn't quite a poly relationship, since it was just Stiles with both of them but they were certainly still intimate with him even when the other was around, like that time on the couch when they'd first gotten together. Group cuddles also weren't few and far between, which Stiles wasn't complaining about, but it did make him wonder if this was as weird for them as it was for him. He couldn't imagine this was easy after all. Still, he was glad they weren't angry with each other and were giving this a shot, no matter how undeserving of it he felt.  
  
That was also something Stiles was adjusting to, getting used to the idea that they liked him so much. It'd done wonders for his self-esteem but there were still a lot of moments of self-doubt and insecurity that he had to work through. Klaus and Elijah were very patient with him though, always soothing his insecurities and somehow always knowing when his mind would wander in that direction. They were amazing to him, and Stiles found that other than the spikes of insecurity he couldn't bring himself to regret the relationship at all.  
  
They also looked great in pictures together, and Stiles found great pleasure in spamming Lydia with cute pictures of himself with them. She was happy for him of course, though did demand to talk (read: threaten) to them to make sure they knew not to hurt Stiles. They both took it in stride though and somehow managed to charm even Lydia and Stiles had thought it would be a cold day in hell before he saw that happen yet here they were with her blessing. His favorite picture of them was one of Stiles sticking his tongue out at an amused Klaus while Elijah hugged him from behind. It was after dinner one day, Hayley having caught the moment and snapped the picture, sending it to Stiles almost immediately.  
  
He was happy she didn't mind his relationship with the two. After all, they'd both been involved with her at some point but she was focused on Jackson and from what she'd told him though she cared for Elijah and Klaus it was better for her to just remain friends with them. The only one who struggled with his relationship with them was Davina, and that was only because of her distaste for Klaus. She had come to tolerate Klaus much more, though Stiles figured she'd take a while to fully come around, and besides it wasn't like she was ever outwardly cold to Stiles or anything, she just struggled to understand what Stiles saw in Klaus.  
  
The most surprising support they received was from Marcel. The Vampire and Klaus had had a long chat the day after Stiles got together with Klaus and Elijah. Apparently, Klaus' father suddenly coming into his life pushed Klaus to reach out to Marcel, who at one point had been a son to Klaus. Their relationship wasn't entirely mended, but Klaus thought it was a great first step. Apparently, apologies went a long way, who knew.  
  
"Well, maybe I don't want you to let me go," Stiles whispered, slightly scared to admit out loud just how much he'd grown to care for the two men in the short time he'd been with them. Sure it was all going very fast and Stiles didn't want to be one of those people who fell in love within a day of meeting somebody but as Jackson put it Stiles certainly was enough of a disaster bi to do it. Stiles would have been indignant, he certainly faked being it, but it was true so he couldn't really protest much against that douche's statement.  
  
"Then I won't. We'll just stay here and cuddle for the rest of eternity." Klaus joked, his arm moving to be around Stiles' waist as he drew Stiles closer. Stiles laughed a little, smiling up at Klaus who just looked at Stiles with that damn smirk that made Stiles weak in the knees.  
  
"While that sounds great I think there are several logistical issues with that plan. Food for example, and you certainly need to feed too from time to time." Stiles said, poking teasingly at Klaus' chest. The man laughed, flashing Stiles his fangs which made the boy shiver slightly. He didn't know why but the fangs were hot too, maybe he had a vampire kink or something.  
  
"Well, maybe I'll just take a bite out of you, sweet little thing that you are." Klaus rumbled out, leaning down to nuzzle Stiles' neck with his lips, kissing just above his pulse making Stiles let out a shaky breath. Damn it, why did the thought of Klaus feeding on him make since hot under the collar. It was ridiculous, but then Stiles was never the most well-adjusted. He was also always curious, so he wanted to find out how it felt.  
  
"I… please do," Stiles whispered, pausing as Klaus froze a bit and pulled back a bit to look at Stiles in the eyes, the man's eyes dark and hooded slightly. Maybe asking for it was a bad idea, but Stiles had already gone and said it so there wasn't really any going back from it.  
  
"Are you certain darling? I won't do this unless you are completely certain this is something you want." Klaus asked, voice slightly pinched as he trying to keep his eyes away from Stiles' neck. Stiles studied Klaus' face for a moment before nodding. Repositioning so he was straddling Klaus' lap, arms around Klaus' neck and head tilted to the side to expose the side of his neck for the man.   
  
Klaus looked at Stiles with those same intense eyes, waiting until Stiles was in a better position before moving closer, hands-on Stiles' sides as he went back to the boy's neck, resuming his nuzzling, nipping at the flesh there slightly to get Stiles more comfortable before letting his fangs drop as he bit down carefully on the side of his neck, letting the sweet, intoxicating taste of Stiles' blood wash over him.

Stiles for his part gasped as he felt Klaus' fangs sink into his neck. It wasn't quite painful, but the feeling was still intense and left Stiles gasping for breath as his hand tightened around Klaus, hands coming up to clutch at the man's hair to keep himself steady but also push Klaus more into his neck. It was nearly euphoric, it certainly made Stiles delirious, though that could be the blood loss talking.

This was of course the scene Elijah stumbled into when he walked through the door, pausing as he saw the scene playing out in front of him before huffing out a laugh and moving to join them on the bed, kicking off his shoes before sitting down next to the two. "Is there room for one more?" He asked politely, looking at Stiles who just nodded frantically, both him and Klaus moving slightly so that the other side of Stiles' neck was exposed for Elijah, who leaned in and mirrored Klaus' actions, biting down and drinking slowly from Stiles, who gasped once more as the sensation doubled.  
  
After a moment both pulled away, licking at the spot they'd bitten down on to close the wounds. Elijah bit down on his own lip, making himself bleed slightly as he captured Stiles mouth in a kiss, making the boy drink down the drop of Elijah's blood that had gathered on his lip to heal the wounds on Stiles' neck completely. Stiles for his part just whined a little in protest but let the man heal him before dropping down on the bed, letting Elijah bring him in and spoon him from behind as Klaus rubbed soothing circles on Stiles' arm, moving closer so that Stiles was sandwiched between them, making Stiles feel like the luckiest filling in the world.  
  
"Are you ok, my love?" Elijah asked, mirroring Klaus' hand movement on Stiles' side, thumb moving up and down the small exposed part where Stiles' shirt had ridden up. It made Stiles shiver and shift slightly, hoping Elijah wouldn't hit a particularly ticklish spot and send Stiles flailing.  
  
"'m fine." He mumbled, slightly out of it from the intense experience of being fed on by the two. Yeah, he definitely had a vampire kink. Go figure, but then it wasn't all that shocking considering he had fallen for two in the first place.

"What made you ask for us to feed on you darling?" Klaus asked, stealing a kiss first before moving back to let Stiles answer, which made the boy smile. The kisses were great too.  
  
"Honestly, I wanted to know how it would feel like. And now I know." He said, shivering at the end at the thought of their fangs on his skin and their lips sucking on his neck as they drank from him. It was probably gross sounding, but it felt great at least.  
  
"Still, now there won't be any marks." He mumbled a little sadly, hand coming up to trace the spot where Klaus had bitten him. That was another of Stiles' weird kinks but he liked the idea of being marked up by them. Elijah must have heard Stiles sad tone because he brought them up, Stiles now sitting in Elijah's lap as the man went back to his neck, sucking on a spot there for some time, Klaus coming up to do the same on the other side. Stiles gasped in surprise, hands flying up to clutch at the back of Klaus' sweater as the two went to town on his neck.

"'lijah, Klaus." He whimpered, feeling them put hickeys all over him, moving from one spot to the next. He couldn't figure out if he liked this more than the biting, but couldn't really focus enough to compare notes either. He let out a small moan as Elijah found a particularly sensitive spot. The man just smiled and kept on ravaging his neck, making Stiles let out another as Klaus came up and started kissing him instead, biting at his lips slightly in between kisses, tongue poking out from time to time to teasingly swipe across Stiles' lip.  
  
As Elijah kept going he made Stiles gasp again, which let Klaus take the opportunity to deepen the kiss, his tongue slipping into Stiles' mouth as the two made out, Klaus dominating the kiss as Stiles melted into Elijah. Stiles felt like his everything was on fire, and only the coolness of Elijah's skin soothed him as he was caught in the middle of the two vampires.  
  
"Satisfied now, little one?" Elijah rumbled in his ear as he pulled away from Stiles' neck, nipping at the lobe slightly making Stiles whimper and make a noise of protest into Klaus mouth, not quite able to shake his head or pull away. "No? My, how greedy of you." He said, smirking as Klaus pulled away from Stiles so the boy could reply.  
  
"What are you going to do about it?" Stiles' voice came out raspy and breathless as the boy stared at Elijah in challenge, hoping to provoke the man into continuing. It seemed to work as Stiles found himself pinned to the bed, arms above his head held in place by Elijah's hand. Stiles gasped and tried to wriggle out of Elijah's grip but it was mostly just for show as he gave in a moment later, looking up at Elijah with an innocent gaze.

"Would you care to repeat that?" Elijah nearly growled out as he leaned closer to Stiles, who gulped slightly while Klaus shook his head in amusement, watching the scene before him play out.   
  
"Uhm, no Sir?" Stiles mumbled questioningly, trying to use his puppy dog eyes on Elijah but it didn't seem to work as the man just raised an eyebrow. Which, props to Elijah, since Stiles' puppy dog eyes were deadly and very effective.  
  
"Are you asking me or telling me?" Elijah questioned, voice full of authority which sent tingles running down Stiles' spine. Authoritative was a great look on Elijah. He certainly looked the part, with his suits and strong demeanor. Stiles was about to reply, however, unfortunately, Klaus' phone started ringing, interrupting them. Stiles turned a little to glare at the phone in question but quickly grew concerned as he saw Klaus' worry as the man picked up the phone.  
  
"Rebekah? What is it?" He asked, concern clear in his voice which also made Elijah pull away and move closer, also looking concerned. Stiles, always the eavesdropper used his Spark to listen in to the call.  
  
"Klaus, it's mother. She knows where we are. We have to go on the move again but she'll find us again. I don't know what to do…" Rebekah's voice rang through the other line and she was clearly in distress. Stiles could see the color drain from Klaus' face as the man became gaunt and panicked.  
  
"What? Where are you?" Klaus asked frantically, likely ready to flash away to wherever Rebekah was. Well, this definitely explained what Esther had been up to these past few days. Stiles couldn't decide whether he was relieved that they finally knew what she'd been doing or horrified now that it had come to light. And sure, Stiles didn't know Rebekah but seeing Klaus so worried made Stiles worry as well.  
  
"I'm driving down the freeway, I started driving the second I found out she knew about our location. I'm driving towards New Orleans but I can go another direction if you think that's wiser." Rebekah explained over the phone, her tone and pitch indicating she had put them on speaker.  
  
"No, keep driving here. I'll send Hayley and some vampires to patrol the surrounding area to make sure you come in safely. Is Hope alright?" Klaus asked after shooting Elijah a glance. Elijah nodded and flashed away, likely to round up Vampires who can escort Rebekah. Knowing Elijah he'd probably go along as well. The mention of this Hope made Stiles curious though. He wondered who she was to Klaus, since judging by the worry in his voice she must be pretty important.  
  
"She's fine Nik, I would never let anything happen to her. We're about an hour away, I'll try to go a little faster though." Rebekah said, trying to keep a lid on her emotions for the time being, at least until Hope was safe and sound. It wouldn't do well for her to panic now and potentially put both of them in danger after all.  
  
"I know you'll keep her safe, but you know our mother… I can't bear losing her Rebekah." Klaus nearly whispered out, voice coming out cracked and broken, clearly displaying how distraught he was over the thought of this Hope being in danger. Stiles was slightly jealous but decided to hear Klaus out after the call ended so as to not add any unneeded stress to the situation.  
  
"I know Nik. I know." She said in lieu of reassurance. "I'll call you if anything happens ok? I need to focus on the road now." She said and waited for Klaus' reply before hanging up, leaving only silence in the room. Stiles could almost feel the turbulent energy pouring off of Klaus in waves. Stiles had seen the man upset before, but it felt like Klaus was going crazy over the thought of something happening to Hope.  
  
Stiles crawled over to where Klaus sat on the side of the bed and hugged him tightly from behind, letting his Spark flow through the man and calm him while Stiles did his best to calm Klaus physically. It was what little he could do to make sure the man didn't tear off in a fit of protective rage and did something he might regret.  
  
"Who is she?" Stiles asked, referring to Hope. Partially to sate his own curiosity but also to get Klaus talking to distract him from the matter at hand. He found that when he was scared or panicked about something it helped talking to somebody, even if it was about something entirely unrelated.  
  
"My daughter," Klaus mumbled and Stiles had to keep himself from stiffening up from the man's answer. He'd been told Klaus' daughter died just after being born and Hayley had also told him the same thing. He'd had no reason to believe otherwise and it hurt him that they'd lie to him about something like this, but he understood in a way. It wasn't like they knew each other that well despite being fairly close now. Before Stiles could say anything in reply Klaus turned slightly, shooting him an apologetic look.  
  
"I didn't mean to lie to you darling. It's just, we made everybody think she's dead to keep her safe with Rebekah, but now that mother knows the cat's out of the bag." Klaus said but Stiles just shook his head. Klaus shouldn't have to apologize for something like this, especially since Stiles himself knew the hurt he felt was unfounded. He understood fully why Klaus kept Hope hidden. The supernatural world was no place for a child, especially not when Klaus' life is so turbulent and filled with danger.  
  
"No, you don't need to apologize. Do I wish you'd have told me? Yes, but I also understand why you didn't. Plus, it wasn't just your call to make, but Hayley's as well. Besides, I know you just wanted to keep her safe. So, what can I do to help?" Stiles asked, shooting Klaus a small smile as the man sighed in relief.  
  
"You truly are special," Klaus said, slightly in wonder at the boy whose arms were wrapped around him. He leaned in, stealing a quick kiss before pulling back, still marveling at the boy who now wore a blush on his cheeks. "Could you please ward a room for her? I'll take you to the room that was supposed to be hers. I want to make sure there's a safe place she can be in case mother comes after her." Stiles gave a small nod and pulled away, moving to stand up and make himself presentable. Well, as presentable as possible considering the hickeys that were all over him.  
  
"Of course, I'll ward the compound as well so that there are several layers of wards she'd have to go through to get to her," Stiles said as he straightened himself out before following Klaus out the door.  
  
**-An Hour Later-**

Stiles breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned on a nearby pillar, finally finished warding Hope's room which Klaus had ordered some lackey to furnish while the man flitted away to meet and guard Rebekah on her way into the city. Perhaps Stiles had gone a tad overboard on the wards, but he could tell how important Hope was to Klaus and didn't think he could bear being the reason something bad happened to her.  
  
Warding the compound against intruders and those with foul intentions was easier, though he did layer a couple of extra curses on there just in case, while also warding against offensive magic. The wards on Hope's room were more complicated and entirely more convoluted. They took more care and strength, but it was worth it. In addition to a copy of the wards on the compound around the room, there was also a litany of other curses and other unpleasantries that were keyed to go after anybody who wanted to harm the baby. It was certainly some of Stiles' most gruesome work but hey, anybody who'd attack a baby probably deserved it. Of course, he made the wards baby proof so that nothing Hope could do would trip them by accident.  
  
Thankfully warding was simpler for Stiles than the other feats of magic he'd performed during his stay in New Orleans since it was one of the areas of magic he was most experienced with. It was the first thing he learned to do and after a while, there was nary a place in Beacon Hills without some type of ward on it. They weren't all useful or necessary, but they did provide Stiles with something to do and the ones that were for security did assure him quite a bit that the town was protected. Of course, the only reason he was able to ward the town so much was because of the large coalition of ley lines that congregated there, connected to the Nemeton.  
  
Along that note, it was also a good thing that there were a couple of ley lines around the city and one close by the compound that Stiles could anchor the wards to so that they didn't feed off Stiles' magic, because after a while that might be draining even for him. That would be bad since he needed to be at the top of his game especially now that Esther was making her moves. Stiles didn't know the woman, but what little he knew of her he hated. Though that might be more due to the pain she'd caused the people he cared for.  
  
It was slightly strange to think of how much he'd done the past two weeks, magic wise. It was certainly big accomplishments and Stiles found himself deep in thought a couple of times since, thinking over what it meant for him. He knew that as a Spark he'd continue to grow as he became more and more comfortable with his magic and the more he used it. Though he had a feeling that a big part of it was his purification and restoration of the Nemeton, and how he'd felt different since. For instance, he likely wouldn't have been as aware of the ley lines before doing that, so something had definitely changed within him. It didn't appear to be negative though, so Stiles would do as he did best and suppress the problem until it became unavoidable and then continue suppressing it until the dam bursts. Not the healthiest coping mechanism, but hey.  
  
Besides he did have a good thing going for the time being and having it be bogged down with extra worry and panic would really take away from how amazing the whole thing was. As things stood Stiles was fairly certain he was already falling for Elijah and Klaus hard. He wanted to just give in and let himself experience it all, probable imminent heartbreak is damned.  
  
Before Stiles could reminisce more about the recent happenings and his relationship to the two brothers though he found himself slammed against the very same pillar he was leaning against though, a hand wrapped around his throat and from what he could tell finely-manicured sharp nails digging into his skin. The woman before him had silky blond hair and her face was screwed together in a sharp glare.  
  
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my family's compound?" She asked sharply, tone commanding as she looked at him expectantly, her glare never slipping for a moment. Stiles couldn't even think of a reply though as Elijah flashed next to her, his hand wrapped around her wrist.  
  
"Rebekah, let him go," Elijah demanded, tone clipped. Stiles' heart warmed slightly at the fact that Elijah wanted to protect him enough to chastise his sister since he was quite indulgent of his siblings from what Stiles had been told and had seen. Also judging by the surprise that flitted across Rebekah's face for the briefest of moments. She loosened her grip and withdrew her arm, letting Stiles slide down the pillar, clutching at where she had held him, trying to massage away the after-pain. It certainly wasn't the most anybody had hurt him but still, she had a strong grip.  
  
"Rebekah, this is Stiles, he's is mine and Klaus' boyfriend. Stiles, this is our sister Rebekah." Elijah introduced them once he was sure Stiles was safe from her. Stiles tried to smile at the girl, but he was sure it came out slightly brittle and forced, and shook her hand. She seemed to be considering him for a moment but at last gave a nod of approval, making Stiles let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.  
  
"Hello, it's nice to meet you. I apologize for my… hasty reaction. I've been slightly on edge this evening. I'm sure you understand." She said though she didn't really seem all that apologetic. Not that Stiles really minded, or cared. At least she hadn't hurt him any more than she had, and besides Elijah had stopped her in time.

"Yeah, I get it. Where's Klaus?" Stiles asked, looking around only to spot the man walking along with Hayley, both of them smiling and cooing over a small bundle cradled in Klaus' arms, Kol following along a couple of steps behind them. They looked amazing walking together, almost like the perfect family. It managed to punch the air out of Stiles in a way that hearing Klaus' concern earlier didn't as jealousy burned through him. Perhaps it was because the two had a thing in the past and had this tie and bond between them, but Stiles also knew it was unfounded. After all, Hayley had Jackson and Klaus certainly didn't hide his affection toward Stiles. Still, he couldn't help the dark voice in the back of his head telling him that this would make Klaus much happier than he could ever be with Stiles.  
  
He waited until the pair came up to them as he peered at Hope where she slept in Klaus' arms. She was very cute, and Stiles could already feel the protective part of himself flare up just at the sight of her. As much as the sight of Klaus and Hayley together like this made Stiles jealous and insecure he also couldn't find it in himself to place any of it on Hope, who looked just as precious and special as her father did, and Stiles knew that'd he'd also grow to care about her.  
  
"I finished warding the room a little while ago. She'll be the safe now." He said, still looking at her with a fond smile. It was all he could do to keep himself from glaring at Hayley or saying something stupid, though there was still plenty of time for him to do something like that. "I'm pretty tired from warding this place, I think I'll tuck in for tonight." He said rather hastily, all but tearing off towards his room.  
  
Later, in the comforts of his bed, he regretted running off like that but knew he couldn't take it back. He really hoped whatever it was that made him so jealous of Hayley went away because he genuinely liked her and didn't want to feel this way towards her. He startled a bit as Elijah came in, dressed in more casual attire and looking like he wanted to talk to Stiles about what had happened, which he really didn't have the energy for at the moment.  
  
"I really don't want to talk about it now Elijah. Please? At least until tomorrow." Stiles said, turning away slightly. He heard Elijah sigh and winced, but stilled a little as he felt the bed shift when the man came over to lie down next to him, wrapping an arm around Stiles so that he was spooning him.   
  
"Ok, just know that I'm here for you dear one." He said, bringing Stiles even closer to him. Stiles gave a   
shuddered sigh of relief, a lone tear sliding down his cheek onto the pillow bellow as he scooted so that he was in a more comfortable position for the spooning.  
  
"Thank you," Stiles mumbled, grateful that the man was around to offer Stiles support. He didn't have to be worried about being alone, not tonight at least.


End file.
